Traits: Small, furbearing mammal with sharp teeth; turns white in winter, except the tip of its long tail.

Habitat: Open areas (early successional stages of boreal forest, wetlands, tundra) with water for drinking

Foods: Voles, shrews, jumping mice, deer mice, other small mammals; some birds, insects, plants

Eaten by: Great horned owls, hawks, red foxes, goshawks

Do You Know? Ermines are chiefly nocturnal, but they also hunt during the day.