The moment the ecmin chased and killed a rabbit 4 times its own weight caught the British photographer’s lens.
Amateur photographer Scott Honeyman tracks a life-and-death battle between ezmins and hares near Dunkeld, Perthshire, England, according to the Long Room. Scott said the chase lasted 10 to 15 minutes before the ecmin won and ended the life of the prey.
The skunk grabs the rabbit’s nape and squeals while attacking its target. However, the hare escaped and jumped high. The skunk reacted equally quickly, it rushed after the rabbit to the ground again and bit it so hard that the rabbit could not struggle. Just waiting for the hare to lie still, the ermine pulled it into the heather bush across the street to eat it.
Scott took the photos in September 2018 and shared them on Facebook last month. “It was a strange sight. I’m sorry for the rabbit, but I also feel very fortunate to have seen the ecmin’s hunting prowess with my own eyes,” Scott said.
Ecmins are known to be fierce and ferocious predators. An adult ecmin usually weighs about 260 g while the weight of a rabbit is 1-2 kg. This weasel is mainly carnivorous and their main food source is rabbits. They also eat insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.