West Virginia mammals

Long-tailed Weasel in West Virginia

Neogale frenata

Native to West Virginia S4 Apparently Secure in West Virginia

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

Occasional in West Virginia 37th most recorded of 77 mammals logged in West Virginia

31 occurrence records
22 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 6, 2026 Last seen in West Virginia

Records from 2000–2026.

31 total records count every West Virginia occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 30 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Long-tailed Weasel in West Virginia

Most sightings fall in July.

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

Monthly West Virginia records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March1
April1
May4
June5
July9
August1
September5
October2
November0
December2

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

Seasonality

Year-round in West Virginia, with recorded sightings peaking in July.

Occurrence map

Where Long-tailed Weasel has been recorded in West Virginia

31 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

31 West Virginia records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Tea Creek Wildlife Management Area 2
Monongahela National Forest 2
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area 1
Cranberry Wildlife Management Area 1
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve 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 West Virginia

CountyRecords
Pocahontas County 7
Greenbrier County 4
Ohio County 3
Preston County 3
Pendleton County 2
Tucker County 2
Harrison County 1
Wetzel County 1
Hardy County 1
Hampshire County 1
Randolph County 1
Cabell County 1
3 other counties 4

The complete county distribution, spread across 15 West Virginia 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 solid NatureServe rating in West Virginia, S4, apparently secure, and the record here leans heavily on GBIF specimen data, 66 of the state’s 75 sightings, over iNaturalist (22), suggesting trapping surveys document this weasel more consistently than casual observation.

Records build steadily from April through July, peaking at 15 sightings in July alone, a fifth of the year’s total, tracking the weeks after this year’s young become mobile and independent enough to be trapped or spotted alongside a parent, before tapering back to a low, steady baseline for the rest of the year.

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 West Virginia 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"