Observations of stoats (Mustela erminea) swimming

Abstract

Stoats have colonised many islands and this colonisation is believed to be primarily through swimming. While stoats are known to be good swimmers, descriptions of stoats swimming are relatively rare. In this paper, a number of eyewitness accounts of stoats swimming are described, including animals being startled on land, which then swim to avoid people, stoats swimming in groups, stoats swimming to islands and stoats swimming several kilometres.