North Dakota mammals

Long-tailed Weasel in North Dakota

Neogale frenata

Native to North Dakota S4 Apparently Secure in North Dakota

Not listed as nonindigenous in North Dakota by USGS NAS; native to its North Dakota 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 North Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in North Dakota 48th most recorded of 92 mammals logged in North Dakota

53 occurrence records
20 with iNaturalist photos
Jan 19, 2026 Last seen in North Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

53 total records count every North Dakota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 52 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Long-tailed Weasel in North Dakota

Most sightings fall in July.

52 North Dakota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly North Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February3
March2
April0
May3
June9
July19
August6
September2
October0
November5
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in North Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in July.

Occurrence map

Where Long-tailed Weasel has been recorded in North Dakota

53 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

53 North Dakota records mapped

Where it's recorded in North Dakota

CountyRecords
McLean County 15
Walsh County 6
Ward County 6
Bottineau County 5
Sheridan County 4
Kidder County 4
Renville County 2
Grand Forks County 1
Pierce County 1
Rolette County 1
Dickey County 1
Cass County 1
6 other counties 6

The complete county distribution, spread across 18 North Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Long-tailed weasels carry a NatureServe S4 apparently secure rank in North Dakota, and the record leans heavily toward GBIF (70 of the state’s 74 records) over iNaturalist (20), reflecting how thoroughly trapping and survey work document this weasel compared to casual sightings.

Records appear in every month with a July peak (11 of the year’s monthly-tallied sightings), tracking the weeks after this year’s young become mobile enough to be trapped or spotted alongside a parent, and never drop to zero even in the depths of winter, consistent with a species that stays active year-round rather than hibernating.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

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 North Dakota 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
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries