This weasel may have been in a scrap and came out the loser but who knows, the “other guy” may look even worse.
1/2500, F/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this little mustelid about two weeks ago at Bear River MBR as it scurried around and entered this burrow in the middle of the road. It has an apparent injury to its nose pad which appears to have been torn partially loose and then healed out-of-place to the right of center – it looks the same in all my images. Weasels are extremely aggressive toward many other species and even their own kind – cannibalism is not uncommon with them (as I’ve documented here), even with their own siblings. I can only guess what happened to this one.
The following image is very similar to this one, with a significant difference that I found interesting.
1/2500, F/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The tail poking up out of the hole so far from the body gives us a graphic visual of how long and sinuous the body really is.
1/2500, F/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The nose pad may have been injured but its olfactory function was apparently working just fine because the weasel spent some time sniffing around several places on the road where birds had defecated (probably Great Blue Heron in this case).
I thought the effect of depth of field was interesting in this image. Even though I switched to F/7.1 in an attempt to get more of the weasel a little sharper, the head is (barely) sharp enough but the rear end of the animal is noticeably soft. Another testament to the length of the body even at this slightly slanting angle.
Ron
Checking in and catching up after being out of touch for a while. I had to wince when I saw that poor weasel’s nose. I’ve seen similar injuries, though not as severe, in bobcats and especially sea otters. Seems like these would be painful injuries — on such a sensitive part of the body.
I fear this little weasel may have poked his nose in where someone else felt it didn’t belong.
Wild that the nose still works when it is so askew! I know it’s a primitive part of our brain and may have additional connections to bypass such injury.
Gorgeous. I am so very pleased to hear that its nose is working just fine.
Super cute. Love the one with the tip of the tail sticking out. Too bad about the nose injury 🙁
Great find and shots Ron!
Charlotte
What a great series, Ron. This little guy looks very confident – just giving you eye for eye!! I didn’t know any of the info you shared on the weasel. You make learning from your photos and commentary something I look forward to each time I open your blog!!
OW!
Wonderful shots Ron, some of my favorite shots that you have taken are your weasel shots! Thanks for sharing!
Hope it is quiet, peaceful and full of birds where you are at this week!
thanks comma dick. So far it’s both peaceful and quiet. cold too, which is a good thing.