16 NAT GEO KIDS^ •^ MAY 2022
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OCEANSOUTHERN OCEAN
PACIFIC
OCEANARCTIC OCEAN
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Scurry through these temperate
woods alongside this cute critter.
Your vehicle zooms through a forest in England filled
with oak, maple, and beech trees. It’s spring, and the trees
are just beginning to regrow their bright green leaves.
Temperate forests are known for the changes they make
during the spring, summer, winter, and fall seasons (unlike
tropical forests, which grow all year long).
A nimble little weasel scampers through the brush in
search of a meal—and tries not to become one. “These
weasels are tiny carnivores,” says Janne Sundell, a weasel
researcher at the University of Helsinki. “They’ll visit every
hole and cavity to hunt for mice and voles, but they have to
be careful to stay undercover because they’re prey, too.”
Little weasels prefer to rest underground in burrows
they stole from mice and voles. “Their long, thin bodies
allow them to easily slip into tight places,” Sundell says. The
cozy spots are great places to hide from owls, raptors, and
foxes. But little weasels sometimes scurry up into the trees.
“They’re good climbers—sometimes mice will try to
escape up a tree, but a weasel could easily follow them,”
Sundell says. They’ll even race up trees when they hear
tasty baby birds chirping.
And when they’re back on the ground, little weasels take
advantage of the underbrush and last year’s fallen leaves
to stay hidden. The critters move so fast in between hiding
spots that it can be tough for researchers to count them.
“Sometimes it’s impossible to say whether it was the same
weasel or if there are more of them!”
The little weasel peers at you from its hideaway in the
vegetation as your vehicle lifts up through the air. You
need to get ready for the warmer weather at your next
stop: You’re headed to the tropics.
Here’s where
little weasels
live.
Little weasels can give birth
to 15 kits in one litter.
That’s a relief!
Huh?
But in just 10 weeks,
they’ll be on their own.
It’s getting a little crowded!
@NatGeoKids
is texting you!
TEMPERATE FOREST
Little Weasel