Stoats are completely white in winter, except for the black tips of their tails. Those that inhabit northern Britain are more likely to turn completely white than their southern counterparts.

Stoats are skilful predators, typically feeding on rabbits and small rodents. They hunt in a zigzag pattern, making use of features such as walls and hedgerows to provide cover, and to help them avoid detection by owls, larger carnivores> and hawks.

With so many predators themselves, the average stoat lives a short life of just 1.5 years.

More...