Instagram user Kerwyn Jones recently shared a cool video that shows a rare sight of a wild stoat in the snow.
Jones was skiing with a group of friends when he noticed a strange creature in the snow. He immediately stopped in order to look closer while turning on his camera. Soon, a tiny head popped out of the snow before quickly disappearing again.
Several moments later, a white weasel-like animal can be seen approaching Jones and his friends to get a closer look as well. It then starts running around the snow and heads towards the forest, leaving astonished humans behind.
“It’s one of those snow mouses,” Jones can be heard saying in the video.
The animal that Jones recorded on the video is actually a wild stoat, also known as ermine. Stoats can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They belong to the Mustelidae family and are considered “cousins” of weasels, badgers, and otters.
Stoats are brown most of the year, but their fur changes to white during winter. This makes them hard to spot in the snow, which is why Jones was pretty lucky to be able to get so close to one.
