Year: 2022, Number: 3, Pages: 5-16
A ubiquitously rare species of the Mustelidae family, the mountain weasel Mustela (Gale) altaica Pallas, 1811, is close in size and body shape to the stoat Mustela (Mustela) erminea Linnaeus, 1758 and the Siberian weasel Mustela (Kolonokus) sibirica Pallas, 1811, which causes difficulties in species identification by non-specialists. However, even taking into account possible errors, data on the mountain weasel hunting indicate a sharp decrease in its abundance and distribution in the Russian Far East in the second half of the 20th century. This is mainly due to the destruction of the species’ habitats and competition with the larger Siberian weasel. Due to these facts, it is proposed to restore the mountain weasel in the Red Data Book of Russia with a rarity status category of 1, as an endangered species.