The stoat or short-tailed weasel is a small member of the mustelid family and native to Eurasia and North America. Its coat is brown in summer (with belly and feet in white), in the winter months its coat is pure white except the tip of its tail wich stays black. Stoats feed on small mammals mainly mice. Their habitats are fields and meadows with scrubs and bushes near creeks and rivers. Although they’re widespread in Germany and active during the day it’s not easy to get a glimpse of them. They have short periods of hunting and longer periods of resting in their dens. And if there is snow they are even harder to spot. I was pretty lucky to see this pure white stoat on a green meadow in southern Bavaria one early winter morning. For more wildlife of Bavaria, click here.