Weasels have long been pervasive on earth- often reviled as thieves, there are weasels on every continent in the world. Certain members of genus mustela reportedly perform the “mesmerizing weasel war dance” after fighting or stealing food.* Members of this genus are known as tricky, opportunistic, and extremely flexible, characteristics which contributed to the colloquial terms “weaseling out of” punishment, or of something one finds particularly onerous, and “weasel words,” vague language that belies unrelliable and/or unverifiable information**
Least Weasel (mustela nivalis)
Long-Tailed Weasel (mustela frenata)
Dirty Rotten Weasel (Mustela Berni Madoff)
* For more information, see http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Weasel-war-dance
**http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/weasel+out; http://www.weaselwords.com.au/index3.htm
Bestiarum Vocabulum 