Wisconsin mammals

Long-tailed Weasel in Wisconsin

Neogale frenata

Native to Wisconsin S4 Apparently Secure in Wisconsin

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

Rare in Wisconsin 56th most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Wisconsin

23 occurrence records
14 with iNaturalist photos
Sep 1, 2025 Last seen in Wisconsin

Records from 2000–2026.

23 total records count every Wisconsin occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 21 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Long-tailed Weasel in Wisconsin

Most sightings fall in January.

21 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin records (table)
MonthRecords
January4
February1
March1
April2
May2
June1
July3
August0
September3
October0
November2
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Wisconsin, with recorded sightings peaking in January, with a smaller rise in July and September.

Occurrence map

Where Long-tailed Weasel has been recorded in Wisconsin

23 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

23 Wisconsin records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Plain Honey Creek Watershed 1

Protected places with the most long-tailed weasel sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Wisconsin

CountyRecords
Dane County 4
Manitowoc County 3
Walworth County 3
Portage County 2
Milwaukee County 2
Kenosha County 1
Bayfield County 1
Eau Claire County 1
Ashland County 1
Sawyer County 1
Barron County 1
Sauk County 1
2 other counties 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 14 Wisconsin counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Wisconsin Long-tailed Weasel records span northern forest openings in Chequamegon-Nicolet, Mississippi floodplain edges, and the field-and-woodlot country around Devil’s Lake. Reports rise from May through August, when young animals disperse, ground cover is accessible to field crews, and road or trail encounters are more likely.

Only 13 of the 316 records are from iNaturalist; the dataset is overwhelmingly GBIF-derived and therefore reflects collection and institutional survey history. These are occurrence records, not an estimate of weasel abundance, and dense clusters may mark sampling effort rather than especially large populations.

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 Wisconsin 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
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"