Watching an ermine pursue its prey

Yellowstone National Park :: Wyoming

I spent winter 2023 in Yellowstone National Park, trekking through the bitter cold all day for six weeks in pursuit of a singular goal: to spot and photograph an ermine. Also known as short-tailed weasels, these animals turn completely white in winter, their fur perfectly camouflaging them against the snowy landscape.

One day, I was scouting an area where I’d often seen their tracks, when a flash of white against a gray cliff face caught my eye. An ermine was “chimneying” up a narrow 35-foot-high crevice in a cliff wall, trying to nab some lunch—a woodrat clinging to a ledge above—but a jut of rock kept blocking its way.

I quickly positioned my camera, ramping up my shutter speed to try to keep pace with the scurrying weasel. Despite being small, they’re persistent and fearless, often capturing prey twice their size.

For almost 45 minutes, I watched it climb, inching toward the woodrat and leaping, legs extended, only to fall down to the snow. It did this again and again, never catching its meal. But luckily for me, I managed to capture the moment when the ermine paused in its unrelenting pursuit.

Witnessing this was only possible because of the access to nature that national parks provide. I hope my photography inspires viewers to fearlessly fight to conserve these important spaces.

See more wildlife photography by Larry Taylor