A stoat ("Mustela erminea)" is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. It is also called a short tailed weasel. It is bigger than a weasel. Stoats in their white winter coat are also called ermines. They can grow to be as long as 30 centimeters (a foot long). They eat other small animals and bird eggs, and can kill animals bigger than themselves. They can also store food for later. They kill by biting the neck of their prey at the place where the skull attaches to the rest of the body.