Stoat
Stoat
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| オコジョ | |||
| Character Data | |||
| AKA | Short-Tailed Weasel, Ermine
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| Romaji | Okojo
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| Debut | Kemono Friends (2015 Game) | ||
| Animal Data | |||
| Scientific Name | Mustela erminea
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| Distribution | Eurasia, North America, Greenland, New Zealand
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| Diet | Carnivore
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| Avg. Lifespan | 4–6 years
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| Read More | Stoat
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| Conservation | 
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| Stoat | Season 2 | Manga | Festival | Pavilion | KF3 | Kingdom | Nexon Game | Gallery |
The Stoat is a type of mustelid Friend that first appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.
Appearance
Stoat's hair is of short-length all around, but comes together at the nape of her neck to continue down her back. Her hair is pure white, with the very center of her bangs being a light brown color as a reference to the real Stoat's nose. She possess ears and a tail that befit her species, her tail also being pure white but is tipped black at the end. She is of slightly above average height in stature and has dark brown eyes.
Stoat wears a white buttoned up, long-sleeved sweater with a matching white collared shirt and tie underneath. She wears a very short, white skirt that is overlapped by her sweater. Stoat also wears white sneakers with white calf-high socks.
Series Appearances
| Media | Role | First Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nexon Game | ↪ Minor character, playable | |
| 2015 | Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park! | ↪ Minor character | Chapter 16 |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Pavilion | ↪ Observable character | |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Festival | ↪ Minor character, playable | |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Picross | Appears on a puzzle | |
| 2019 | Chokotto Anime Kemono Friends 3 | Minor character | Episode 20 |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 3 | ↪ Minor character, playable | |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 3: Planet Tours | ↪ Photo illustration | |
| 2022 | Pachislot Kemono Friends | ↪ Minor character | |
| 2022 | Kemono Friends Kingdom | ↪ Minor character, playable | |
Minor Appearances
Kemono Friends Picross
Stoat appears in a puzzle of Kemono Friends Picross where the player can obtain a picture of the friend by solving a puzzle.
In Real Life
The stoat is a small mustelid divided into 21 identified subspecies that are native to North America, Europe (including Greenland), and Asia, with a population having been introduced to New Zealand in the late 19th century. During the summer months, the stoat's fur is a light brownish color with a white belly; come winter, it develops a thick pure-white coat to help it retain body heat and blend in with the winter snow. Regardless of seasonal coat color, the tips of their tails always remain black, and this is believed to act as a decoy for predators such as wolves, foxes, wolverines, and predatory birds; by diverting attention to the non-essential tail tip and away from vital areas, namely the head and neck, the stoat may be increasing its chances of surviving and escaping an attack.
Stoats are carnivorous, feeding on small animals such as rodents, fish, birds and their eggs, insects, small reptiles, and amphibians; in some parts of the world, their favored prey items are lagomorphs such as the European rabbit, which tend to be several times larger than the stoats that hunt them. Stoats are also known to engage in surplus killing, wherein they kill more prey animals than they can eat in one sitting and cache the extra meat for later consumption. Stoats are adept climbers and, much like squirrels, can descend tree trunks headfirst; this grants them access to tree-nesting bird species and their eggs. Given their aptitude for terrestrial, arboreal, subterranean and aquatic hunting alike, stoats are incredibly effective predators; while this is beneficial for areas to which the stoat is native, as the mustelids keep populations of quick-reproducing mammals such as rabbits and mice in check, its non-native introduction to New Zealand has been devastating for its bird populations, which are in no way adapted to deal with such a voracious hunter.
Stoats are extremely territorial and are intolerant of any other stoats in the same area, especially those of the same sex. Stoat dens are typically either the abandoned dens of predators, or the stolen dens of the stoat's previous prey. They breed once a year, during which time males copulate with multiple partners; copulation is normally forced and the male doesn't help raise the offspring.
Trivia
- While "stoat" is the commonly used name to refer to this species, they may also be referred to as ermines when they develop their winter coats; ermine can also refer to the pelt itself.
- Stoats are sometimes released to control the rabbit populations in areas where their numbers have grown out of control.
- Stoats have the longest possible gestation period of mammals, at 11 months.
References
- Martínková, Natália, et al. “Stoats (Mustela Erminea) Provide Evidence of Natural Overland Colonization of Ireland.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, 7 June 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2176200/.
- Stoat, www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/link-suggestion/wpcd_2008-09_augmented/wp/s/Stoat.html.