Florida mammals

Long-tailed Weasel in Florida

Neogale frenata

Native to Florida S5 Secure in Florida

Not listed as nonindigenous in Florida by USGS NAS; native to its Florida range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, CaliforniaLong-tailed weasel pausing at the edge of a paved trail beside tall grass, San Francisco, CaliforniaLong-tailed weasel peering over a log, showing its cream underside and brown crown, VermontLong-tailed weasel with a bridled black-and-white facial mask peering through a gap in deck boards, TexasLong-tailed weasel standing alert among limestone rocks, New Mexico
Photo: benjchristensen · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, CaliforniaPhoto: Jay Paroline · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel pausing at the edge of a paved trail beside tall grass, San Francisco, CaliforniaPhoto: Bernie Paquette · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel peering over a log, showing its cream underside and brown crown, VermontPhoto: johnyochum · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel with a bridled black-and-white facial mask peering through a gap in deck boards, TexasPhoto: Bob Nieman · CC BY 4.0Long-tailed weasel standing alert among limestone rocks, New Mexico

Long-tailed Weasel in Florida, by the numbers

Occasional in Florida 75th most recorded of 116 mammals logged in Florida

28 occurrence records
2 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 24, 2026 Last seen in Florida

Records from 2000–2026.

28 total records count every Florida occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 17 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Long-tailed Weasel in Florida

Most sightings fall in April.

17 Florida occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Florida records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February2
March3
April6
May0
June0
July0
August0
September0
October2
November0
December1

Monthly long-tailed weasel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Florida, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in April.

Occurrence map

Where Long-tailed Weasel has been recorded in Florida

28 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

28 Florida records mapped

Where it's recorded in Florida

CountyRecords
Alachua County 5
Leon County 4
Levy County 4
Hillsborough County 3
Santa Rosa County 2
Wakulla County 1
Taylor County 1
Holmes County 1
Sarasota County 1
Marion County 1
Volusia County 1
Brevard County 1
3 other counties 3

The complete county distribution, spread across 15 Florida counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Florida has 131 long-tailed weasel records dating back to 2000, but only 2 come from iNaturalist. That near-total reliance on GBIF data fits a secretive, rarely-seen mustelid that people don’t often photograph. It’s native to the state and NatureServe lists it as S5, Secure.

January is the strongest month, with 28 records, roughly triple most other months. Reports fall off sharply by late spring and summer. That drop likely reflects when trapping surveys or fieldwork happened, not a real retreat by the weasel itself.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, California
Full species profile Long-tailed Weasel Neogale frenata Size 24.8 cm9.8 in Weight 170 g6 oz Lifespan Up to 8.8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Florida in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap