I really struggle to get my head round weasels

[HoneyDragon]

I've seen them. I know what they look like, and often catch them whizzing across the road at weasel warp speed.

But their size always surprises me. Every time. I know they are small. But when you look at a picture of a weasel or think weasel, you think bigger. You don't think "oh, a weasel. That's a little bigger than a hamster that is". Or I don't. I go, ooooh a weasel. Wow, it's tiny, every time, the surprise never abates.

I struggle with weasel physics. That the actual weasel is not the size of the concept of weasel in my head.

I'm not sure how to fix it.

I love a good weasel!

Oh yes, otters.
How cute are otters.

Oooh it might have been a pole cat! That looks most like it - are they fairly large?

A friend lost the end of her nose to a horse, Weasels don't hurt people, teeth hurt people!

I think the males are - no-where near badger size mind, but they can be quite sturdy creatures.

There have also been cases of cross-breeding with other Mustelids to make properly large ones (according to Wikipedia anyway).

I've seen a family of badgers. Sat in a car park watching them for a good hour so they're real!

I've seen a stoat do a crazy stoat dance at the side of the road for no apparent reason.

I once had a ferret come in our house though the cat flap.

A polecat? Isn't that a skunk?

I saw a weasel once. I thought it was a mouse, but it went on for much longer than was reasonable. That was years ago though.

This spring I have mostly been seeing vast quantities of roadkill badgers and deer, far more than usual. Perhaps the weather is getting them down.

I'm a bit shocked by weasel size, I'm a country girl too. Bastard weasels have shaken my rural knowledge!

How do they take down rabbits has that bloke just got finger skin like a rhino? ?

I've been thinking, is it that the weasels look bigger as they are wearing unflattering lederhosen?

What the fuck is a Pine Marten?
And why have I never heard of one?
Ever.

OK, I've googled.
But really, they've been made up in recent years, haven't they?

Lyra's daemon, Pantalaimon, ends up as a pine marten (why do I want to use caps for PM?). But they are scary - google pine marten football attack.

Thread was making me very happy till I got to the star-nosed mole. That is wrong and very nasty.

Pink weasels are a species in their own right. They are condiderably larger than standard weasels with a tendency toward muffin toppage when wearing skinny lederhosen.

So not the same thing as a common garden weasel that has sent out misleading propaganda about its size for many many years.

Considerably. FFS why did my mistake have to italicised. Can we just pretend my hayfever has extended to my typing?

This thread has made me laugh (and google weasels).

Rhinos are very big.

I aboslutely struggle with weasels too. I'm nodding my head furiously here. I never thought I would be so emphatic about weasels.

I saw one the other day and it was teeny. I thought it was a baby weasel. Bt apparently that's how big they are.

I always thought they were the size of a small cat. But they are actually the size of a baby weasel.

I do often marvel at the wonders of evolution but sometimes, you can't do anything but think WTAF???!!!

Star nosed mole a good example.

Take that coconut crab thing webecoist.momtastic.com/2009/02/03/the-9-strangest-animals-on-earth/

Can you imagine putting your rubbish out and having to negotiate one of those?

I think the weasel discrepancy is because David Attenborough has to compete with a cartoon menagerie (Disney and all that).

My dad woke one night to hear our lovely big white bunny screaming. He ran out in his pants to discover a mean bastard ferret attacking him (bunny not pant-clad dad)

So he shot him.

Bastarding ferret.

Bunny was fine. (and lived till he was 13!)

Great shot, Dad!

Must have been a very good shot, they are tiny.

I saw a weasel take a mouse once right in front of me. It was incredible.