The myths and legends about the Irish stoat
The stoat is the product of an evolutionary process that began almost seven million years ago when northern forests were replaced by open grassland. Picture: Carl Morrow
When I was young, we always referred to the stoat as a weasel. Of course, there are no weasels in the Ox Mountain region, nor are there any in the whole of Ireland. The stoat is, however, very similar to the weasel, just a little smaller and with a shorter tail.
The stoat is one of Ireland’s oldest mammals and carries quite a punch, probably because of its furtive nature and secretive life. It has developed quite a reputation in folklore and in rural storytelling; stories of stoats poisoning water and having their own funerals were not unheard of.
The stoat is also known as the Eurasian ermine. The name ermine is used especially to define the pure white winter coat of the stoat. This pristine coat, grown in more arctic conditions, is seldom found in Ireland. Ermine fur was used in the 15th century by Catholic monarchs and it has long been used on the ceremonial robes of members of the House of Lords.
The stoat is the product of an evolutionary process that began almost seven million years ago when northern forests were replaced by open grassland. This prompted an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents. The stoat thrived during the Ice Age, as its small size and long body allowed it to easily operate beneath snow, as well as hunt in burrows. The Vincent Wildlife Trust gives the following description of our unique little mammal.
The reproductive life of the stoat is unlike any other animal. The following are just a few highlights. Male stoats only become ‘male’ for a few weeks each summer. Stoats undergo embryonic diapause, meaning that the embryo does not begin to grow immediately after fertilisation, but lies dormant for several months. The gestation period is therefore variable but is typically around 300 days.
After mating in summer, the offspring will not be born until the following spring. Males play no part in rearing the young, which are born blind, deaf, toothless and covered in fine white or pinkish down. Males become sexually mature at 10–11 months, while females are sexually mature at the age of… wait for it… two to three weeks and are usually mated before being weaned.
For a few days recently I enjoyed the company of a stoat around my house. He was popping in and out of a stone wall, more than likely terrorising a wren and her little brood. Regardless, I saw the presence of the stoat as quite a privilege, as I hadn’t seen one for a long time and definitely not as such close quarters. The experience reminded me of stories I had heard from my parents, stories about unusual situations associated with stoats and their behaviour.
One such story, from my mother, featured a man who went out one day to mow a meadow with his scythe. He had with him a tin can of spring water to sustain him through the hot day. He was not long into the job at hand when he disturbed a stoat’s nest. The mother stoat ran off, abandoning her clutch but as she escaped, she made her way to the man’s spring water and spat into it. It was widely believed at that time that the spit of stoat was poisonous.
The stoat remained close by, observing the man at work. The man, out of respect for the stoats, carefully moved the nest, containing the stoat babies, to a safe location. When the female saw this, she made her way back to the can of water, tipped it over and in doing so spared the man from drinking the poisonous water.
My father used to tell a story of seeing a stoat’s funeral. It was difficult to imagine that such an event could take place but he was certain he saw it. I have investigated the possibility of such an event taking place and I did come up with an explanation which seems to back up my father’s story.
Jim Hurley, writing for the (Nature Trail) in December 2018, investigated the phenomenon of stoat’s funerals and came up with the following theory.
Stoats are known to be highly territorial, so it would be unusual for them to gather in a group and tolerate each other's presence. The only time a group is likely to be seen is a mother with her litter of ten possibly twelve dependent young.
The most likely explanation for group behaviour is for an entire litter of hungry young to leave their nest and greet and follow their mother as she returns home dragging a rat, bird or young rabbit for the family to feast on. It is, of course, possible that an injured, dead or dying individual may be dragged away by other family members for some reason.
My father also had an old saying from his boyhood which that claimed . He referred to the little animal as a weasel; as mentioned already, the older people never called them stoats. He didn’t have such a purse himself but once, in my youth, when I found a stoat dead on the road, I immediately resolved to save the skin, to see if my father’s story would prove true. I cured the skin and subsequently lined my wallet with it. I still have that wallet. I can’t say the lining made me rich but I can say, in all the years since then, I have never been short of money.
Launched in February 2023, the Irish Stoat Survey is a citizen science survey and the first systematic survey of the Irish stoat throughout the island of Ireland. The survey was created in partnership with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording in Northern Ireland and the University of Galway. For details of how to help, go to www.vincentwildlife.ie. Those organising the survey welcome your involvement.
