Tracking the decline of weasels in North America.

ABSTRACT: Small carnivores are of increasing conservation concern globally, including those formerly thought to be widespread and abundant. Three weasel species (Mustela nivalis, M. frenata, and M. erminea) are distributed across most of North America, yet several recent studies have reported difficulty detecting weasels within their historical range and several states have revised the status of weasels to that of species of conservation concern. To investigate the status and trends of weasels across the United States (US) and Canada, we analyzed four separate datasets: historical harvests, museum collections, citizen scientist observations (iNaturalist), and a recent US-wide trail camera survey. We observed 87-94% declines in weasel harvest across North America over the past 60 years. Declining tra

SUBMITTER: Jachowski D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8294569 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature