Weasel war dance

A ferret in a war dance jump.

The weasel war dance is a colloquial term for a behavior of excited ferrets and weasels. In wild animals, it is speculated that this dance is used to confuse or disorient prey.[1] In domestic animals, the war dance usually follows play or the successful capture of a toy or a stolen object and is commonly held to mean that the ferret is thoroughly enjoying itself. It consists of a frenzied series of sideways and backwards hops, often accompanied by an arched back, and a frizzy tail. Ferrets are notoriously clumsy in their surroundings during their dance and will often bump into or fall over objects and furniture.[2] Most often, the act includes a clucking vocalization, commonly known as "dooking". It normally indicates happiness. Although the weasel war dance may make a ferret appear frightened or angry, they are often just excited and are usually harmless to humans. The stoat (also known as the ermine or the short-tailed weasel) often employs a "war dance" when attacking rabbits.

References

  1. King, Carolyn M. et al The Natural History of Weasels and Stoats , P. 120
  2. Balmain, David (2008). Ferret. O'Reilly Media, Inc. p. 101. Retrieved June 9, 2011.

External links



This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.