Mustelidae Spotlight: Weasel

You know, I was sitting here thinking about how annoying it is to say "mustelidae" over and over again. It certainly isn't as mainstream as "rodent." How 'bout we go for something more simple and cute and start calling them "musties." Yeah! I like that!

Probably, the most well-known musty is the ordinary weasel. Well, maybe not so ordinary, for he has a reputation a mile long. Actually, it's more of a rap sheet than a reputation. Weasels are well-known for being up to suspicious mischief or dubious activities, and a lot of those notions are inspired by how they live their lives.

First, lets look at them from a scientific angle. Weasels are not really that big when compared to other musties. They range from 7 to 8 inches from head to tail, and they are very low to the ground when sneaking about. You might even miss one crawling right in front of you, and that is likely very good for the weasel.

Weasels are carnivores. They love eating all the little critters who live in the forest, but it's how they capture them which ultimately gives them their reputation. They are amazingly sneaky and quiet when they hunt. One might even think they pride themselves on this ability; at least, I'd like to think so. In fact, I think it quite often. It's just more fun that way.

Weasels have been in fiction and culture since the beginning of time. In the times of ancient Greece, it was considered very bad luck to find a weasel near a house which held within its walls a girl to be married. Apparently, weasels like to destroy things for no reason at all--such as a wedding dress. That's right! Weasels were the world's first wedding crashers! In early Mecklenburg, Germany, weasels were thought to possess strong magic which actually led to a period of the year being designated for killing weasels. Turns out Weird Al's "Weasel Stomping Day" was based on real events! Native Americans saw weasels as a bad sign that would lead to a speedy death. You see? That's how they get ya! Lastly, even in modern times, we will call a person who is known to be sneaky or up to no good a weasel. We also sometimes refer to the speakings of a suspicious person to be "weasel words." Clever.

No matter how you look at it, weasels are known throughout history as the sneaky villain of the animals. In fiction, they are commonly portrayed as such or just simply a slithery person without any scruples to speak of. Case in point: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" The weasels in this movie were not only entirely villainous, they were also stark raving lunatics. I liked them though! They were both scary and hilarious at the same time and made great henchmen for the lead villain.

Weasels are commonly henchmen as in the French film "Wolfy: The Incredible Secret." They would sneak about like spies in the night, and no one would ever see them unless they wanted to be seen. In Kenneth Grahame's book "The Wind in the Willows," weasels were also employed as common thugs and even ended up in a big fight.

I think--for me--the most inspirational depiction of weasels were the ones in the comic book series "Mouse Guard." Although they have not shown up as often as I'd like, they were so well written that I have used the ideas for some of my own works. In my unpublished stories called "Tooth and Tail," I had weasels be these snarling creatures who thrived on meat. Rats would ride them into battle and cause much carnage with them, but this would also prove very controversial with the rodent populous. I also had a very interesting weasel in one of my published works called "Ava in Fairyland." His name was Slipnick the thief, and his name was derived from how he could "slip" inside and "nick" the item that he wanted. He was an amusing character and a lot of fun to write about.

Weasels are one of natures sneakiest predators. They are cunning and calculating. They are selfish and cruel. They will do anything and everything it takes to achieve success. For that reason, they easily make it in the Musty Hall of Fame as an honorary villain. I would not have it any other way.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed it, you can leave a comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Sneak!