Watch a Vicious Life Struggle Between a Stoat and a Very Fat Rat

The rat might not be a favorite of many, because they’re often correlated to nasty things. Despite this not always being true, the notoriety remains – even the elusive stoat acts on this reputation! For those who aren’t familiar, the stoat (also called the ermine) is a member of the weasel family.

In all seriousness, though, the weasel family is known for predating rodents, and rats are no exception. In the below clip, we can see what an attack between these natural enemies looks like. Viewer discretion advised, as the brief fight still gets a bit intense!

That said, let’s explore more facts about these critters that certainly have each other at odds.

How Do Rats Protect Themselves?

Although they have impressive teeth and tough claws, rats are not quite as nimble as stoats. Adept at climbing and squeezing their way through the environment, rats are better explorers than fighters. Also, they tend to have rather poor eyesight, another factor that works against them.

Interestingly, a phenomenon known as neophobia (fear of new things) is thought to exist in rats. This basically means that they will fear anything they are not familiar with in order to stave off danger.

Truly, rats are wise to fear stoats and their relatives, as they clearly don’t have many ways to stack up against their undeniably vicious nature. The video below paints a picture as to why, seeing the crazy stunts that a stoat will pull in order to win a tussle. While rats are extremely resilient, they are more of a foraging survivor than a full-on attack animal!

Are Stoats Mean?

Animals from the weasel family, including the well-known ferret and of course the stoat, are highly mischievous. Pets are understandably less aggressive, but wild weasels err on the side of being downright hostile! That said, this is likely because they rely on being rough and tumble for they can both surprise and take down their prey.

A clever trick that most most weasels are known to exhibit is known as the weasel war dance. This amusing display is thought to be an elaborate distraction to confuse their quarry. It’s so natural for these animals, they also appear to use it to communicate excitement, as well. If you’ve never seen this dance before, do yourself a favor and check it out sometime. Someone who dances that well can’t be all bad, right?

Rat Versus Stoat – Find Out Who Wins!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Carlos Aranguiz/Shutterstock.com