Ermine In Winter

by Donna Kennedy

Title

Ermine In Winter

Artist

Donna Kennedy

Medium

Digital Art - Mixed Media

Description

Ermine In Winter - AI+digital artwork by Donna Kennedy-edited in PS and Topaz Studio...

The Ermine (Mustela erminea) also known as the stoat, or short-tailed weasel, the ermine is a mammal of the genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae native to Eurasia and North America. When seen, though, they often invoke curiosity and questions of, “What was that small creature I just saw?” What, at first glance, might seem like a squirrel, on second look, appears to be a smallish, weasely looking critter. If you suspect the creature is a small weasel, you may well have seen an ermine.

Ermines are a relatively common creature, but overlooked, and far more secretive than chipmunks and squirrels, the most commonly seen small mammals. Ermines are predators like all weasels and can be seen at any time of year. They turn all white in the winter months, making them particularly beautiful when seen in the winter sunlight. The black tip of their tail can confirm it’s a weasel to the eye. Widely distributed across northern North America and Eurasia, ermines are most abundant in thickets, woodlands, and semi-timbered areas. More than 35 subspecies are known. These slender, agile, voracious mammals measure 5 to 12 inches in head and body length, have a tail length of 2 to 4.7 inches, and weigh less than 0.7 pound. Females are smaller than males, and members of northern populations are smaller than their southern counterparts.
Ermines are out and about in the daytime when they are on a scent, often tunneling through the snow tunnels of rodents beneath the snowpack, looking for a mouse, vole, or shrew.

Thank you to the Administrators that Featured this photo in the following Groups:
-Digital Art
-Winter Wonders
-A Woman's Touch
-Winter Wonderland
-Square Art World
-The Art Workshop
-Four Seasons
-Your Story of Art
-Fine Art America Professionals

Uploaded

January 23rd, 2024

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