weasel common name

[overread]

Recently came across something that is surprising me regarding the name of the weasel, which is that apparently it is correctly commonly know as the "lest weasel". This surprise me since I've never heard it called that before. Part of me wo ders if thisis judt aomethi g semiformal that isn'tused in commn parlance that often or if it's something which has come over from America?

 

[bongorob]

Least weasel is a name I first noticed 15-20 years ago, it is possibly of American origin as they have more than one species. In the U.K. it is normally just called weasel.

 

[Macaw16]

Recently came across something that is surprising me regarding the name of the weasel, which is that apparently it is correctly commonly know as the "lest weasel". This surprise me since I've never heard it called that before. Part of me wo ders if thisis judt aomethi g semiformal that isn'tused in commn parlance that often or if it's something which has come over from America?

It is to distinguish between other animals with weasel in their name (Long-tailed Weasel for example). In the UK we only have one animal referred to as the weasel, so we don't really need to use the 'Least' part in our day to day usage for the Least Weasel. While in the USA they have a few animals which commonly carry the name of _____ Weasel (including the Stoat, which is known as the Short-tailed Weasel), where simply calling something a Weasel wouldn't suffice. When using it in the UK referring to Mustela nivalis, it is alright to just say Weasel (many field guides just call it weasel as well).

 

[overread]

Thanks guys, I thought it sounded odd on the wiki-article. I do however find it greatly amusing how the stoat is called the "short tailed weasel" and then a line later on the weasel wiki page it says that it has the longer tail than a weasel