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upper reaches of the Moroccan and Algerian Atlas, this weasel moults
to white in the winter months. The Egyptian Weasel (M. subpalmata)
is very similar, but larger.
Size Total length 16–34 cm.
Weight 45–200 g.
Habitat and Behaviour This weasel occupies a wide range of
habitats, from coastal to subalpine reaches of high mountain ranges.
In many areas it lives around people, buildings and cultivated
areas, and it is said to very commonly associate with humans and
their dwellings. Weasels are highly agile carnivores that are classic
hunters of burrowing rodents, although they do also take other prey
including animals larger than themselves. They are active during
the day and night. Their home ranges are marked by both males
and females; those of the males do not overlap, but a male’s range
may overlap that of one or more females. This species has not been
studied in the region, but elsewhere breeding does not seem to
be seasonal. Three to ten pups, with an average of 5 per litter, are
dropped after a 35-day gestation. Pups each weigh an average of just
1.5 g at birth.
Distribution and Status This species ocurs across northern Morocco,
northern Algeria and Tunisia, as well as north-eastern Libya. It appears
to be very rare in Lebanon and may still occur in Israel. It has a wide
distribution in Turkey and across northern Iran. In Iran it is also found
in the west, where it is closely associated with the Zagros Mountains.
The Egyptian Weasel is only known from the lower Nile River and
its delta.
Conservation Areas None known.