In the frigid alpine zone of Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, cute mountain weasels are less known than snow leopards and wolves. They are agile pika catchers. 

Mountain weasels typically have a slim and long body, about the size of a barbie doll. They mainly feed on pikas and voles in the alpine meadow. You likely come across the mountain weasels if you find rock crevices nearby. They use these rocks to track and hunt pikas and hide from competitors like predatory birds and leopard cats. Sometimes, they even use pika holes as shelters against wind and rain. 

According to the expert, one adult mountain weasel can hunt six to seven rodents daily during the breeding season. They play an important ecological role in limiting the population of pikas, which lowers the risk of grassland degradation caused by pika burrowing activities. 

The mountain weasel is now under second-class state protection in China and listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

For more:

Wildlife of Wolong: The deer with 'vampire fangs'

(All photos taken by He Xiao'an, head of the Publicity Department of Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration in Sichuan Province.)

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