Mustela sibirica
Silhouette: painting Guo · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The Siberian weasel or kolonok (Mustela sibirica) is a medium-sized weasel native to Asia, where it is widely distributed and inhabits various forest habitats and open areas. It is therefore listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
The Siberian weasel has a long, stretched out body with relatively short legs. Its head is elongated, narrow and relatively small, and its short ears are broad at the base. Its tail is half the length of its body. Its winter fur is very dense, soft and fluffy, with guard hairs reaching 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) in length. The underfur is dense and loose fitting. Siberian weasels are monotone in colour, being bright reddish-ocherous or straw-red, though orange or peach tones are sometimes noticeable on the skin. These tones are especially bright on the back, while the flanks and underbelly are paler. A dark, coffee-brown mask is present on the face. Their tails are more brightly coloured than the back, and are fluffier than those of other members of the genus. The lips and chin are white or slightly ochreous. The front of the muzzle is darker than the remaining parts of the head. Its skull is in several respects intermediate in form between... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | La Torbiera | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Ouwehands Dierenpark | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 5 | Tabor Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Beijing, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Siberian Weasel sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 72 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Siberian Weasel in Beijing on a given day, against about 10% in October to June, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against almost none in January.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Siberian Weasel sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
5th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Siberian Weasel sightings, Beijing ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nanjing (China, about 20%), Wuhan (China, about 20%) and Qingdao (China, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Siberian Weasel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Beijing (72 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
