# Least weasel (*Mustela nivalis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/least-weasel  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

Mustela nivalis, also called the common weasel, mouse weasel or Egyptian weasel, is a small mammal in the family Mustelidae, subfamily Mustelinae, order Carnivora. It is a nocturnal, terrestrial carnivore of forest habitat, with a representative adult body mass of 104 g and reported values from 50 to 115 g. Gestation lasts 36 days, litters hold 5.1 young, there are 1.5 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 120 days. Its IUCN Red List category is LC in the global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 49.8 g – 115 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 9.55 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 10 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 34 days – 36.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.4 – 5.09 |
| Age at maturity | 3.94 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Mustela
- species: *Mustela nivalis* Linnaeus, 1766

Synonyms: *Mustela alpinus*, *Mustela ibericus*, *Mustela italicus*, *Mustela meridionalis*, *Mustela minor*, *Mustela minutus*, *Mustela monticola*, *Mustela nivalis corsicana*, *Mustela nivalis kerulenica*, *Mustela nivalis nivalis*, *Mustela praenivalis*, *Mustela typicus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is Mustela nivalis?

Mustela nivalis, the common weasel, is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae, subfamily Mustelinae.

### How much does a common weasel weigh?

An adult common weasel has a representative body mass of 104 g, with reported values from 50 to 115 g.

### What does the common weasel eat?

The common weasel is a carnivore.

### What habitat does the common weasel live in?

The common weasel lives in forest habitat, where it is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### Is the common weasel endangered?

No. Its IUCN Red List category is LC in the global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a common weasel live?

The common weasel has a lifespan of 9.6 years, and our sources report up to 10 years.

### How many young does a common weasel have?

A common weasel has 5.1 young per litter and 1.5 litters per year, after a gestation period of 36 days.

### Who named Mustela nivalis?

Mustela nivalis was named by Linnaeus, 1766.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Least weasel (Mustela nivalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/least-weasel