European polecat, Mustela putorius L. And with that, we end our series of Monday Mustelids which we began back in January.

Siberian weasel, Mustela siberica Pallas 1773 There are no good available photos for the Malayan weasel (M. nudipes), the Black-striped weasel (M. strigidorsa) and the Egyptian weasel (M. subpalmata), so that’s all you are getting on them. That means that next week’s Monday Mustelid will be the last one in the series.

Black footed ferret, Mustela nigripes  Audubon and Bachman, 1851   Least weasel, Mustela nivalis L. Cute baby weasel under the fold …

Yellow-bellied weasel, Mustela kathiah Hodgson 1835   European mink, Mustela lutreola L.

Japanese weasel, Mustela itatsi Temminck 1844

Long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata Lichtenstein 1831 (source) I was unable to find a good picture of Mustela felipei (Izor and de la Torre, 1978) so that, alas, will be left by the wayside.

Something a little different this week …   Steppe Polecat, Mustela eversmanni Lesson 1827. I spent three years of my life measuring mustelid skulls. I kind of miss it.

Stoat, Mustela erminea L. (click for big version)

Mountain or Pale Weasel, Mustela altaica Pallas 1811 Click for bigger, clearer version of this little beauty!

On Monday, we’ll begin the final lap of the Monday Mustelid, namely the 18 members of the genus Mustela. So it seems apt to post what is probably the most famous image of a mustelid, Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Lady with the Ermine” (1482-’83). You can read more about the portrait here. This is by way…