WEBVTT - How Did Weasels Get a Bad Rap? 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:07.600 Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:12.479 Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, it's time to admit that we've done 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:17.239 weasels wrong. In the English speaking world, someone who's a sneak, 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:21.160 a cutthroat, or a liar isn't called a tiger, for example, 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:27.400 or an apossum. No, these unsavory characters get branded as weasels. 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:32.840 We've also turned the word weasel into an equally unsavory verb. 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.600 To weasel your way out of something is to deceitfully 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:41.919 avoid it, and anti weasel sentiments extend far beyond linguistics. 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:46.720 Lots of children's books and animation have had these tubular 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:51.000 mammals play sleazy bad guys, possibly rooting from the nineteen 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:53.519 oh eight novel The Wind in the Willows and its 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:57.600 partial adaptation Disney's nineteen forty nine film The Adventures of 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:02.400 Ichabod and Mister Toad, then spinning through everything from The 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:07.600 Berenstain Bears to Who Framed Roger Rabbit to Zutopia. Weasels 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:11.840 were even deemed bad omens in ancient Greece. Some of 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:16.200 their image problems harken back to common misconceptions. Others have 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:20.920 more nuanced roots. Today, let's talk about weasels in general 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:27.679 and their most adoptable varieties ferrets. Weasels are various species 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.640 of nimble, long bodied mammalian predators that belong to the 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:38.039 taxonomic subfamily Mastellani and the genera Mastella and Neo gala I. 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.480 Tried to look it up. Couldn't find a pronunciation, y'all 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:45.440 let me know anyway. Different species hail from Eurasia, the Americas, 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:49.160 and North Africa. The word weasel can be a little 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:53.640 confusing just from a classification standpoint. Some people restrict weasel 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:57.480 to refer to one particular species, the least weasel, but 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:02.640 also animals from different generaly get called weasels sometimes, and 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.840 related animals like badgers and otters are in what's called 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:11.720 the weasel family, also referred to as mustelids. Furthermore, classification 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.160 is something that scientists seem to enjoy arguing about, and 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:17.560 a few species have been moved in and out of 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:22.720 the subfamily mistinally over time. But for our purposes today, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:29.480 we're defining true weasels as mistellane species, including weasels, polecats, minx, stoats, 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.919 and ferrets. Around twenty species and one hundred and fifty 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:38.440 subspecies around the world. Weasels are adept hunters that evolved 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:42.400 with small, thin, long bodies with sleek fur and short 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:46.680 legs that allow them to chase burrowing rodents down narrow tunnels. 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:52.120 They tend to have delicate, pointed faces and small, rounded ears. 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:57.040 Different species will grow to different sizes. Polecats and ferrets 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:59.640 tend to be on the bigger side, growing to about 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.600 twenty inches in length that's fifty centimeters from the tip 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:04.680 of their nose to the tip of their tail, though 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:06.760 the tail can account for about a quarter to a 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:10.000 third of that length. They might weigh up two four 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:14.040 and a half pounds or two kilos. Other weasels rival 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:18.360 beanie babies in size. The aforementioned and aptly named least 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:20.600 weasel has a maximum length of just eight and a 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:23.760 half inches or around twenty two centimeters, and its average 0:03:23.760 --> 0:03:28.160 weight is just two ounces or fifty five grams. These 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:31.320 animals have evolved differing fur colors and patterns to help 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:34.600 them survive in their varied environments. Their fur can be 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:38.440 anything from loamy brown to earthy red, to grassy gold 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:41.920 to snowy white, sometimes with darker patterning on their feet 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.520 and tails along their backs or in bands on their 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:49.120 faces to help confuse their predators. Some even change their 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.880 fur color with the changing seasons to help them blend in. 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.880 When the days shorten or lengthen, it can trigger hormone 0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:58.640 changes that spur a snow colored coat in the winter 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:03.000 and a darker one in the summer. Ferrets, which are domesticated, 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:06.560 are often bred for particular coloration, from blonde to black, 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.360 and some of those patterns on weasels faces do slightly 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:15.240 resemble a bandit's mask, perhaps adding to their reputation. One 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.080 thing weasels all have in common is their sky high 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:24.200 metabolic rates. Unlike say, bears, weasels can't depend on long 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:28.640 term fat reserves. Because staying lean in order to tunnel 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.320 is a matter of survival, weasels don't put on a 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:35.080 lot of body fat, and without thick fur coats, they 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:39.360 struggle to retain body heat. So to meet their energy 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:42.560 needs and stay warm, weasels burn a lot of fuel. 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:47.680 This forces them to process meals very rapidly. As such, 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.880 many species must consume twenty to forty percent of their 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:54.719 body weight and food every day. In addition to rodents, 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:59.800 weasels will also eat rabbits, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and various invertebrates, 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:03.440 basically anything they can get their paws on, including animals 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.720 much larger than themselves. They're good climbers too, and will 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:12.279 prey on eggs or young in nests. Back in twenty fifteen, 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.880 photographer Martin LeMay even captured an image of a least 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:19.880 weasel riding on the back of an airborne woodpecker. It 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:23.120 looks like a dragon rider on its colorful steed, but 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:27.640 this was no joy ride. It was an attempt at predation. Evidently, 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.559 the weasel attacked the bird while it was grounded, setting 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:35.520 off an aerial rodeo. LeMay reported that this woodpecker managed 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:40.320 to escape, but other birds aren't so lucky. Even predatory 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:44.920 raptors can fall victim to the ferocity of weasels. From 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.880 time to time, eagles or buzzards will swoop down and 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:50.480 snatch up a weasel, hoping to score a quick meal. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.000 But if the weasel manages to reach up and bite 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:56.680 its captor on the neck or chest, the mammal might 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.800 not only survive the encounter, but turn the tables and 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:04.840 eat its attacker. Among chicken farmers, weasels are notorious for 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:08.880 killing prized birds and making off with their eggs. Therein 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:14.400 lies a popular misconception or technicality. Animals like the short 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:17.320 tailed weasel will put a small hole into an egg 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.240 and then lap up the contents as they come oozing out. 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:24.000 But what it won't do is actively suck out the 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:28.640 yolks and the whites, like some kind of breakfast vampire. However, 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:32.480 famous folks from William Shakespeare in writing Henry the Fifth 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.760 to Theodore Roosevelt in a speech from nineteen sixteen have 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.560 referred to weasel's sucking eggs. To be fair, it is 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:44.240 more vivid imagery than lapping eggs. Roosevelt was using this 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:48.159 image as a metaphor. He said, one of our defects 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.440 as a nation is a tendency to use what have 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:54.600 been called weasel words. When a weasel sucks eggs, the 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.320 meat is sucked out of the egg. If you use 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:01.000 a weasel word after another, there's nothing left of the other. 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.680 The image of an empty eggshell here is an echo 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.640 of the hollow vague language used by some politicians to 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:14.400 avoid or weasel out of accountability. Weasel Words have their 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:18.960 meanings sucked out Roosevelt liked this phrase and helped popularize it. 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.120 But of course we can't blame Shakespeare and Roosevelt for 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:27.920 all of weasel's pr problems. Historically, weasels have often found 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:32.240 themselves at odds with farmers of animals like chickens. These 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:36.239 tubular creatures can slip into chicken coops through unprotected holes 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:39.960 in the floor walls. Once inside, they can raid the 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:44.600 nests or attack the birds themselves. Most weasels do prefer 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:49.160 rodents to chickens, which means weasels can actually benefit farmers 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:52.640 by retting the premises of vermin and by providing an 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.800 alternative to chicken for any larger predators in the area 0:07:56.040 --> 0:08:00.920 like foxes or hawks. But finding empty eggs and the 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:05.320 occasional remains of an unlucky bird doesn't endear weasels to farmers, 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:07.760 so it's no wonder that weasels have come to be 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:12.960 known as sneaky devious creatures. They also got a reputation 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:17.240 for being bloodthirsty or vicious because of those high metabolisms. 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:20.520 They'll often wrangle more food than they can eat in 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:23.760 a single sitting and store the extra in cash sites 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:28.240 such as abandoned animal burrows. This is a behavior that's 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:31.680 considered cute when squirrels do it with acorns, but feels 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:34.160 a little weirder to us when the cash is say 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:37.560 one hundred and fifty dead voles dashed away for future meals. 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:42.679 From an evolutionary standpoint, that impulse to kill extra game 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:47.400 makes perfect sense. Everyone likes a full pantry. It's also 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:49.680 the reason why weasels have been known to slaughter every 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:52.880 chicken in sight upon entering a coop and then disappear 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.000 without eating them. They were probably hoping to save the 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.320 birds for later, but couldn't get them out of the coop. 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.880 A weasel's also don't suck blood, though the bite marks 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:05.200 they might leave on chicken necks do put us in 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.640 mind of vampires. Again, that's just an effective place for 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.880 them to bite to stop their prey from fighting back. Fortunately, 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.720 there are steps chicken breeders can take to prevent these 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:19.400 incidents from occurring, like keeping coops raised off the ground 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:22.360 to prevent burrowing, and making sure there are no holes 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.600 in the coup greater than an inch wide that's about 0:09:24.640 --> 0:09:27.680 two and a half centimeters, which includes being shared of 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:32.240 patch any holes nod by rodents However, there are some 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:37.000 places where weasels simply don't belong. In New Zealand, introduced 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:39.959 least weasels have been taking a serious chunk out of 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:45.480 native bird populations. The government is actively removing these unwelcome guests, 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:49.760 but combating invasive species is always a difficult job. While 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.640 New Zealand's weasels are causing real harm and should be 0:09:52.679 --> 0:09:57.240 dealt with, that doesn't justify Western societies centuries long disdain 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:01.480 for mustelids as a whole. Ye. Yes, weasels are crafty 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:05.120 little beasts with healthy appetites. That's what makes them so 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:10.080 richly important to their native ecosystems, and where and when appropriate, 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:14.400 so fascinating as pets. We're going to get into that, 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.080 but first we're going to get into a quick break 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:23.320 for a word from our sponsors, and we're back, Thank 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:30.440 you sponsors. Okay, most weasels should be left alone in nature. However, 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:35.520 fans of the domesticated ferret love their playful, friendly personalities. 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:39.400 Ferrets are known to be affectionate and very smart, which 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:44.000 they demonstrate by being leash and litter trainable. They're quiet 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.560 animals and sleep about eighteen hours a day. They're not 0:10:47.679 --> 0:10:50.600 nocturnal unless their owners are. They tend to adjust their 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:54.280 sleep schedules to match their owners. You could put considerate 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.720 in the pro column of getting a pet ferret, but 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:02.360 high maintenance is perhaps a lot larger factor. To get 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:06.240 an ample amount of exercise and stimulation, ferrets need several 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:10.920 hours a day of supervised time outside of a cage. However, 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:14.840 because they're natural burrowers and like to slip between or 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.680 under things and hide, it's a good idea to ferret 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:21.120 proof the areas they have access to. Doors should be 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:26.040 kept closed, cabinets inaccessible, small spaces blocked off, including under 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:30.680 and behind appliances like your fridge or washing machine. Also, 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:35.680 anything small or that you just care about like socks, shoes, keys, 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:40.680 and cords should be kept away. Ferrets will chew, hoard, 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:44.400 and hide little pieces of anything they find. The word 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:47.640 ferret is most likely derived from Latin words meaning thief 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:52.440 or robber, but yes, they love to chew everything, especially 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:55.880 anything rubber or foam, which can be dangerous because pieces 0:11:55.920 --> 0:12:01.160 they swallow can cause intestinal obstruction. As so critters, ferrets 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.800 enjoy and need interaction with their owners and ideally with 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:08.360 ferret friends. In other words, if you're getting one ferret, 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:12.240 you might as well get too wild. Weasels, in contrast, 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.720 tend to be solitary animals. They'll come together to mate, 0:12:15.760 --> 0:12:18.040 and female weasels will care for their kits for a 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:22.160 few months, but they don't run in packs. When household 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:25.800 ferrets aren't enjoying supervised free time, they should be in 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.880 housing to keep them safe and prevent damage from their 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:33.320 mischievous behavior, A multi level cage is best, especially if 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:36.640 you own more than one ferret. Other basic needs include 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.640 quality ferret food, which can be found in pet stores, water, 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:43.880 perhaps obviously, a toys and a hammock, small hideout or 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.560 sleeping bag which might be less obvious, but they do 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:51.440 love to burrow. Oh, and be aware. Ferrets tend to 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:55.160 have a bit of a musky smell. These animals do 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:58.400 need to live indoors because they're prone to heatstroke, have 0:12:58.600 --> 0:13:04.079 very poor vision, and are nonetheless fearless. Experts advise against 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.920 having ferrets in a home with very young children due 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:10.000 to that nibbling done by the ferrets, not the children. 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:14.320 Nor a home with cats or dogs. Even friendly animals 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:18.280 could easily hurt a ferret when they're playing. Ferrets are 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:22.400 banned as pets by some local governments, generally based on misinformation. 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.440 There's a fear that pet ferrets could escape and form 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:30.320 wild populations that would either upset natural ecosystems or spread rabies. 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.599 But ferrets, unlike say cats or dogs, cannot survive in 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:38.160 the wild, and rabies is very rare in ferrets. There's 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:41.200 never actually been a case of a ferret transmitting rabies 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:46.120 to a human. However, you should ferret out local regulations 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.679 before adopting any pet. A vet or wildlife organization can 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:51.760 help you figure out what you need to do or 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.599 not do. The phrase ferret out, by the way, it 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:58.840 comes from the medieval practice of using ferrets to kill 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:02.160 vermin or hunt rat by flushing them out of their burrows. 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.280 One other bit of behavior that's common to wild weasels 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:10.160 and tame ferrets is what sometimes called the weasel war dance. 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:15.840 This is a frantic sort of hopping, bouncing flail that 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.440 can seem alarming, like a seizure or maybe a display 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:23.680 of aggression. They'll puff their tail out, arch their spine, 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:26.960 toss their head, and often make a clucking noise known 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.880 in the ferret hobby as a duke faster and louder 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:33.680 as they go. In the wild, this is sometimes observed 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.760 right before a weasel strikes it prey. The weasel is 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:41.760 perhaps performing this playlike motion on purpose to interest or 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.320 confuse its prey and allow it to get with in 0:14:44.360 --> 0:14:49.120 biting distance. But in captive ferrets this dance is well 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:53.120 known as the mustulid equivalent of the zoomies, a chaotic 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:57.240 expression of positive excitement and an invitation to join in 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:04.600 the play. Today's episode is based on the articles how 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:07.040 did Weasels get such a Bad Rap? By Mark Mancini 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:11.360 and Ferrets Are Mischievous Loyal affectionate Pets by Max Barwick, 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.760 both on how Stuffworks dot Com. Brain Stuff is production 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.640 of iHeartRadio in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and is 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:21.120 produced by Tyler Quaying. Four more podcasts my heart Radio 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.960 visit the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts for wherever you listen 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:26.080 to your favorite shows.