Mustelids on Olympic National Forest

Mustelids are a group of animals in the Mustelidae, or weasel, family and they come in various sizes and colors. All mustelids have short legs, long bodies, and are very active! They are also odiferous creatures (they carry a smell), the most well-known for this characteristic being the skunks!

There are 8 species of mustelids that make their home on the Olympic Peninsula and within Olympic National Forest: short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, spotted skunk, striped skunk, mink, Pacific marten, Pacific fisher, and river otter. The smallest, short-tailed weasels, weigh less than 1 pound, while the river otter can be up to 24 pounds. All species of mustelids are sexually dimorphic, which means the males and females are very different in size with males being the larger. Field Guides and other references describe different sizes for all these animals, and for some species, there is little information on the size of females other than to say they are smaller than males.

Select each photo below to learn more about each mustelid species found on the peninsula: 

(Information from Peterson Field Guide, Mammals and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).

 

Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela erminea)	Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata)	Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis)	Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
Mink (Mustela vison)	Pacific Marten (Martes caurina)	Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti)	River Otter (Lontra canadensis)