Mustela frenata

Have you ever seen a long-tailed weasel? Me neither. Until last night, that is.

Long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata) are apparently native here, according to the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.

This fellow was very cute. I first noticed that there was this reddish brown creature hopping playfully about the end of my driveway, up by the county road. I figured it was a squirrel, until I realized how large it was, and noticed the strange tail sticking out behind it. As I continued down the drive, it continued to hop about, from one side of the driveway to the other. Eventually, it hopped a short way down the neighbor's drive. I noticed it hopped like a ferret, which I thought unusual, as I had never seen a rich red-chocolate brown ferret before, and certainly not one out in the wild around here.

I wanted to know what kind of creature I was looking at, so I jogged back to the house. Yes, I jogged. Highly unusual, I know, but this was a very exciting moment. Arriving breathlessly back at the house (it's a long driveway, you know), I did a Google Image search for weasels and WA. The image of Mustela frenata was a perfect match!

Of course, since I was just out for my evening stroll down to the end of the road (you know, checking out Mt. Rainier, splash about in the sound, contemplate the beauty of my neighborhood), I didn't bring a camera. What a shame! Luck would have it that by the time I made my way back down the driveway, the little dear had gamboled away.

I am hoping I see this little fellow again - and here's to having a camera on hand!