# Siberian weasel (*Mustela sibirica*)

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

The siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), also called the Siberian mink or Siberian polecat, is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. It is a small, terrestrial, nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass from 360 to 820 g and a representative value of 405 g. Its habitats are forest and shrubland, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category. Gestation lasts 30 days (up to 41 days), the representative litter size is 6.5 young, and lifespan reaches up to 8.8 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 360 g – 820 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.82 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 8.83 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Gestation | 30.1 days – 41 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 6.2 – 6.48 |
| 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 sibirica* Pallas, 1773

Synonyms: *Kolonocus sibirica*, *Kolonocus sibirica sibirica*, *Kolonocus sibiricus coreanus*, *Kolonocus sibiricus katsurai*, *Kolonocus sibiricus peninsulae*, *Kolonocus sibiricus quelpartis*, *Kolonokus sibiricus australis*, *Lutreola major*, *Lutreola melli*, *Lutreola quelpartis*, *Lutreola stegmanni*, *Lutreola tafeli*, *Mustela canigula*, *Mustela hamptoni*, *Mustela hodgsoni*, *Mustela horsfieldii*, *Mustela humeralis*, *Mustela manchurica*, *Mustela sibirica canigula*, *Mustela sibirica charbinensis*, *Mustela sibirica coreana*, *Mustela sibirica coreanus*, *Mustela sibirica davidiana*, *Mustela sibirica fontanierii*, *Mustela sibirica hodgsoni*, *Mustela sibirica manchurica*, *Mustela sibirica miles*, *Mustela sibirica moupinensis*, *Mustela sibirica quelpartis*, *Mustela sibirica sibirica*, *Mustela sibirica subhemachalana*, *Mustela sibirica taivana*, *Mustela subhemachalana*, *Mustela subhemachalana*, *Mustela taivana*, *Mustela taivana*, *Myotis sibirica coreana*, *Myotis sibirica manchurica*, *Myotis sibirica quelpartis*, *Putorius davidianus*, *Putorius fontanierii*, *Putorius moupinensis*, *Putorius sibirica miles*, *Putorius sibiricus*, *Putorius sibiricus noctis*, *Vison sibirica*, *Viverra sibirica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the siberian weasel?

The siberian weasel is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. It is also called the Siberian mink or Siberian polecat.

### How much does a siberian weasel weigh?

Adult Siberian weasels weigh from 360 to 820 g, with a representative value of 405 g. This places it in the small size class.

### What does the siberian weasel eat?

The siberian weasel is a carnivore.

### What habitats does the siberian weasel live in?

The siberian weasel lives in forest and shrubland. It is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### Is the siberian weasel endangered?

No. The siberian weasel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a siberian weasel live?

The siberian weasel lives up to 8.8 years.

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

The representative litter size of the siberian weasel is 6.5 young, after a gestation period of 30 days (up to 41 days).

### Who named the siberian weasel?

The siberian weasel, Mustela sibirica, was named by Pallas, 1773.

## 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: Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/siberian-weasel