The ermine has a long, slender body and neck, flat triangular head and short legs. The small, beady eyes are black and the ears are short, rounded, and furred. The upper parts of the body are brown and the lower parts white to yellowish white, except in winter when the coat is white. The tail of the ermine is less than 44 percent of head-body length. The ermine is carnivorous, hunting small animals for food, although it may eat some fruit and carrion when prey is scarce. Red squirrels, eastern chipmunks, moles, shrew, eastern cottontails, young snowshoe hares, earthworms, insects, frogs, snakes, birds and birds’ eggs constitute a lesser part of their diet.

It frequently uses the nest of prey for shelter, adding dried plant materials, fur and feathers to the nest lining. An ermine often has several nests that may be underground, within or under hollow logs, rock piles, and walls, and buildings such as old barns or sheds. he ermine hunts by moving quickly over large areas, searching all cover carefully, and stalking and pouncing on animals that it locates by scent, sound, or sight. Ermine kill prey by biting the base of the skull, and when attacking larger prey, cling to the struggling victim with both front and hind limbs.