Patagonian weasel
Lyncodon patagonicus (de Blainville, 1842)
The patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus) is a species in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 225 g to 1 kg and live up to 10.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the patagonian weasel
- Weight
- 225 g – 1 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 10.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 11.8 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the patagonian weasel live?
Not recorded
What is the patagonian weasel?
The Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus) is a small mustelid that is the only member of the genus Lyncodon. Its geographic range is the Pampas of western Argentina and sections of Chile. An early mention of the animal is in the Journal of Syms Covington, who sailed with Charles Darwin on his epic voyage aboard HMS Beagle.
From the Wikipedia article “Patagonian weasel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patagonian_weasel&oldid=1381315236), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the patagonian weasel endangered?
The patagonian weasel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the patagonian weasel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyMustelidae
- genusLyncodon
- SpeciesLyncodon patagonicus (de Blainville, 1842)
Synonyms Lyncodon lujanensis, Lyncodon patagonicus patagonicus, Lyncodon patagonicus thomasi, Mustela anticola, Mustela patagonica
Other names and names in other languages (19)
- ابن عرس باتاغونياArabic
- grizon patagonskýCzech
- Patagonisches WieselGerman
- ZwerggrisonGerman
- HuroncitoSpanish
- Huroncito patagónicoSpanish
- patagoniankärppäFinnish
- Belette de PatagonieFrench
- Lyncodon de PatagonieFrench
- Lincodonte della PatagoniaItalian
- グリソンモドキJapanese
- 파타고니아족제비Korean
- PatagoniarøyskattNorwegian Bokmål
- Patagonische WezelDutch
- Grizon patagońskiPolish
- Grizonek patagońskiPolish
- Doninha-da-PatagôniaPortuguese
- Патагонская ласкаRussian
- Patagonya gelinciğiTurkish
Relatives of the patagonian weasel
Other species in the same family Mustelidae.
European badger
Meles meles
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
Eurasian otter
Lutra lutra
Stoat
Mustela erminea
Wolverine
Gulo gulo
European pine marten
Martes martes
ComparePatagonian weasel vs European badgerPatagonian weasel vs Least weaselPatagonian weasel vs Eurasian otterPatagonian weasel vs Stoat
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the patagonian weasel?
An adult patagonian weasel weighs 225 g – 1 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the patagonian weasel endangered?
The patagonian weasel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the patagonian weasel live?
The patagonian weasel has a recorded lifespan of 10.2 years.
What kind of animal is the patagonian weasel?
The patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus) belongs to the family Mustelidae in the order Carnivora.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/patagonian-weasel
“Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/patagonian-weasel.
@misc{patagonian_weasel_2026,
title = {Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/patagonian-weasel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}