Reverting edit(s) by ~2026-57366-87 (talk) to rev. 1372998156 by ~2026-47766-17: likely factual errors (RW 16.1)← Previous revisionRevision as of 16:51, 26 October 2026 Line 2: Line 2: {{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2025}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=February 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}[[File:Mustela.erminea.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A stoat in its natural range (in this case the [[Ardennes]] in Belgium).|A stoat in the [[Ardennes]] in Belgium, within its natural range]] {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}[[File:Mustela.erminea.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A stoat in its natural range (in this case the [[Ardennes]] in Belgium).|A stoat in the [[Ardennes]] in Belgium, within its natural range]] The [[stoat]] (''Mustela rminea'') was [[introduced species|introduced]] into New Zealand to control introduced [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s, but turned out to be a major threat to the native bird population. The natural range of the stoat is limited to parts of the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. Immediately before human settlement, New Zealand did not have any land-based [[mammal]]s apart from [[bat]]s, but [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] and European settlers introduced a wide variety of animals. Rarely, in [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]], the fur of stoats has been reported to turn white, being the fur known as ermine, which adorns royal robes.{{Cite book |last=Druett|first=Joan |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-DruExot-t1-body1-d10-ft2.html |title=Exotic Intruders |publisher=Heinemann |year=1983 |location=Auckland|pages=171 |via=New Zealand Electronic Text Collection}} The [[stoat]] (''Mustela erminea'') was [[introduced species|introduced]] into New Zealand to control introduced [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s, but turned out to be a major threat to the native bird population. The natural range of the stoat is limited to parts of the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. Immediately before human settlement, New Zealand did not have any land-based [[mammal]]s apart from [[bat]]s, but [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] and European settlers introduced a wide variety of animals. Rarely, in [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]], the fur of stoats has been reported to turn white, being the fur known as ermine, which adorns royal robes.{{Cite book |last=Druett|first=Joan |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-DruExot-t1-body1-d10-ft2.html |title=Exotic Intruders |publisher=Heinemann |year=1983 |location=Auckland|pages=171 |via=New Zealand Electronic Text Collection}} [[File:Self-resetting_rat_and_stoat_trap.jpg|thumb|Self-resetting rat and stoat trap]] [[File:Self-resetting_rat_and_stoat_trap.jpg|thumb|Self-resetting rat and stoat trap]] [[File:Stoat_emerging_from_a_bird_nesting_box.jpg|thumb|Stoat emerging from a bird nesting box, near [[Raglan, New Zealand|Raglan]]]] [[File:Stoat_emerging_from_a_bird_nesting_box.jpg|thumb|Stoat emerging from a bird nesting box, near [[Raglan, New Zealand|Raglan]]]]