this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2024
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Science Memes

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773
Least Weasel (mander.xyz)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 74 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The lesser of two weasels

[–] [email protected] 20 points 4 months ago

Let's all vote for the lesser of two weasels.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Only the smallest mammalian carnivore.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Not even

It is a carnivorous rodent, dining on insects (such as grasshoppers), worms, spiders, centipedes, mantis, scorpions, snakes, and even other mice.

The southern grasshopper mouse has around a 3.5 to 5.0 inches (8.9–12.7 cm) long body

[Least weasel] Average body length in males is 130 to 260 mm (5 to 10 in), while females average 114 to 204 mm (4.5 to 8.0 in)

[–] lemming 25 points 4 months ago

Well, if you want to head that way, there's Etruscan shrew. Less than 2 grams of weight and 4 cm of length.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

It's known for taking down prey larger than itself and I think holds the record for biggest disparity of weight predator to prey.

[–] explodicle 6 points 4 months ago

I assumed they meant carnivora

[–] [email protected] 29 points 4 months ago (2 children)

That's definitely not the world's smallest carnivore, but it is a small carnivore

[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

They probably meant carnivore mammal.

Edit: it's the smallest species of the carnivora order. So not the "smallest carnivore", but "smallest carnivorian".

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

Right? Shit, we got single-cell carnivores in this world.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 months ago

Any less weasel and BAM, got yourself a mouse.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 months ago

Best mustelid. It's incredible that they are able to take rabbits as prey. And their strategy is absolutely amazing: confusion. They do their weasel war dance and the rabbit doesn't know what the fuck is going on until its neck is in the tiny mouth of a creature 1/10th its size.

[–] captain_aggravated 21 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The problem is there isn't a Most Weasel.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think that would be the wolverine.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

The superhero or the animal? Because I'm fine with either.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

An absolute unit.

[–] DasFaultier 23 points 4 months ago (1 children)

And that unit shall be called "1 milliweasel".

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Which is equivalent to 1x10^-3^ weasel or 1x10^-6^ kiloweasel.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

GIGAWEASEL

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago

you can have

... I can has?
It's so cute!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Isn't that a stoat

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago

It's less than a stoat

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

The Leasel

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

holy shit, I didn't think there was anything smaller than a stoat in that family

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That thing is a killing machine!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago

A quantum of stoat.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Average body length in males is 130 to 260 mm, while females average 114 to 204 mm.
Males weigh 36 to 250 g, while females weigh 29 to 117 g.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_weasel

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

They are pretty metal. They kill their prey by literally crushing the skull.
I've seen them hunt and once they get a hold of the prey, the struggle is over in seconds.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Aka long hamsterat

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Cute cat snake

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Knowing weasels at least one of those has taken down a moose

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Minimum Viable Predator

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Love it!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

@fossilesque
it's the world's smallest carnivoran, not the smallest carnivore, which would probably be some form of insect.
@kopper