American ermine

The American ermine (Mustela richardsonii) is a species of mustelid native to most of North America.
== Taxonomy ==
It was long considered conspecific with the stoat (M. erminea), but a 2021 study found it to be a distinct species, forming distinct genetic clades from erminea. The finding has been accepted by the American Society of Mammalogists. The Haida ermine (M. haidarum) is thought to be a hybrid species originating from ancient hybridization between M. erminea and M. richardsonii.
The specific epithet refers to Arctic explorer and naturalist John Richardson.
== Distribution ==
The species is found throughout most of North America aside from most of Alaska (although it is found on some islands in southeastern Alaska), eastern Yukon, most of Arctic Canada, and Greenland, where it is replaced by M. erminea. It reaches the northern extent of its range in Baffin Island and a portion of eastern mainland Nunavut and ranges from here to cover almost all of western North America south to northern New Mexico, and eastern North America south to northern Virginia. It is absent from most of the Southeastern United States and the Great Plains.
== Behavior ==
In North America, where the ecological niche for rat- and rabbit-sized prey is taken by the larger long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), the American ermine preys on mice, voles, shrews, and young cottontails.
== Subspecies ==
About 13 subspecies are known:
Subspecies 	Trinomial authority 	Description 	Range 	Synonyms
Junean stoat
M. r. alascensis	Merriam, 1896 	Similar to M. r. richardsonii, but with a broader skull and more extensive white tips on the limbs 	Juneau, Alaska 	
Vancouver Island stoat
M. r. anguinae	Hall, 1932 	 	Vancouver Island 	
Western Great Lakes stoat
M. r. bangsi	Hall, 1945 	 	The region west of the Great Lakes 	cicognani (Mearns, 1891)
pusillus (Aughey, 1880)
Bonaparte's stoat
M. r. cigognanii	Bonaparte, 1838 	A small subspecies with a dark brown summer coat; its skull is more lightly built than that of richardsonii.	The region north and east of the Great Lakes 	pusilla (DeKay, 1842)
vulgaris (Griffith, 1827)
M. r. fallenda	Hall, 1945 	 	 	
M. r. gulosa 	Hall, 1945 	 	 	
M. r. initis 	Hall, 1945 	 	 	
M. r. invicta 	Hall, 1945 	 	 	
Southwestern stoat
M. r. muricus	Bangs, 1899 	 	The southwestern extremity of the species' American range (Nevada, Utah, Colorado and other states) 	leptus (Merriam, 1903)
Olympic stoat
M. r. olympica	Hall, 1945 	 	The Olympic Peninsula, Washington 	
Richardson's stoat
M. r. richardsonii	Bonaparte, 1838 	Similar to M. r. cigognanii, but larger, with a dull chocolate brown summer coat 	Newfoundland, Labrador and nearly all of Canada (save for the ranges of other American stoat subspecies)	imperii (Barrett-Hamilton, 1904)
microtis (J. A. Allen, 1903)
mortigena (Bangs, 1913)
Baffin Island stoat
M. r. semplei	Sutton and Hamilton, 1932	 	Baffin Island and the adjacent parts of the mainland 	labiata (Degerbøl, 1935)
M. r. stratori	Merriam, 1896 	 	 	
== Relationships with humans ==
The fur of ermine (both M. erminea and M. richardsonii, both of which inhabited the Tlingit's territory) were valued by the Tlingit and other indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. They could be attached to traditional regalia and cedar bark hats as status symbols, or they were also made into shirts.
== Gallery ==
== References ==
Category:Weasels
Category:Mammals of Canada
Category:Mammals of North America
Category:Mammals described in 1838