Weasels and martens - differences and similarities

The marten family

The term marten not only denotes the shy pine marten and the annoying stone marten but it also denotes the entire family of these dog-like predators.

To the marten family (Mustelidae)

include:

The real marten (Martes) like tree and stone marten,
Badgers,
Mink,
Polecats,
Wolverines,
otter
and also the weasels.

The differences between weasels and martens

When you think of weasels, you are probably thinking of an ermine, also called a large weasel or a short-tailed weasel, or a mouse weasel, also called a dwarf or small weasel. When you think of marten, you are definitely thinking of the stone marten, who likes to be close to people and is known for nibbling on car cables and roof insulation. These three species look pretty similar, but if you look closely, you can tell the marten and weasel apart by the following features:

	Beech marten	ermine	Mouse weasel
Compression length	40 to 54cm	17 to 33cm	11 to 26cm
Tail length	22 to 30cm	4 to 12cm	2 to 8cm
Weight	1.1 to 2.3 kg	40 to 360 grams	25 to 250 grams
Coat color	Brown, white spot on the neck, not on the stomach!	Brown with a white belly and neck, black tip of the tail!	Brown with a white belly and throat
Feet	brown	White!	brown
Change of coat	No color change	can get white winter fur	can get white winter fur

The main distinguishing features

We can see from the table that martens are significantly larger than ermines and weasels. Their coat color is also slightly different: In contrast to large and small weasels, martens do not have a white belly and do not change their coat color even in winter. Characteristic of the ermine is the black tip of the tail, which neither martens nor other weasels share.