Mustela frenata - Long-tailed Weasel

Sorry KarenP, I think I have to agree with Xiaoxuan, I think that this is an young American mink. When not in a white phase I've never seen a brown long-tailed weasel that was this dark, I'm also pretty sure that whenever they are in a brown phase that they still have a lighter underside and lighter paws. The long-tailed weasel also has proportionally larger ears when compared to it's head size. I've attached the sister weasel link to the mink one posted above: http://www.arkive.org/long-tailed-weasel.... In addition though I'm sure it is not unheard of for a long-tailed weasel to prey on snakes, minks more commonly prey on snakes muskrats and rabbits while long-tailed weasels more commonly prey on moles mice and chipmunks.

All that being said I've been trying to get a clear shot at a resident mink for a year now and like the weasels as KarenP said they are fast little critters.

I'm a bit of a mustelid fanatic so I always love to see such a great picture. Nice Photo!

This is definitely a mink...not a weasel...

A great moment to capture!

I think it's a weasel. I see them too, in So. Cal while hiking. Great photo as weasels are so fast and hard to capture. Awesome! Looks like he got a tasty snack with the snake.

Welcome to project noah!!