The term "ermine" usually refers to the short-tailed weasel, especially today, but "ermine" has also been used to refer to either species of white winter weasel, leading to some confusion in historical records.

Both can turn white in winter in my part of New York. The term "ermine" usually refers to the short-tailed weasel, especially today, but "ermine" has also been used to refer to either species of white winter weasel, leading to some confusion in historical records.

Long-tailed weasels (Neogale frenata) typically have tails that are 45% or more (up to 70%!) of their head-body length, compared to the American Ermine, or Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela richardonsii, or before genetics came along, Mustela erminea), has tail length ~30-45% of their head-body length.

Lol @ tuataras

"Extant citizen-science data generally lack the information necessary to adjust for detection biases, but IDS models address this shortcoming, thus greatly extending the utility and reach of these data."

Heterodon, the North American Hog-nosed Snakes.