Georgia Researchers Find Weasels After 30-Year Gap

Jenna Myers and Lexie Dingerson were scrolling through wildlife footage in their hotel room when they saw something that made them scream with joy: a long-tailed weasel, one of Georgia's most elusive animals, staring back at them from the screen.

These fierce little hunters weigh less than a pound but take down rodents and snakes with ease. The problem? Wildlife officials had barely seen them in years, especially in south Georgia, where the last documented sighting happened in the mid-1990s.

Myers and Dingerson spent months bushwhacking through dense forests and climbing mountains to set up cameras across Georgia. They were searching for a creature so fast and secretive that most cameras would only catch a blur.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources needed help. They used to track weasels through fur trapping data, but that practice has mostly disappeared. Without information, officials couldn't tell if these ferocious micro-predators were in trouble from habitat loss and pollution.

Out of nearly 600 cameras the duo placed randomly, only 1.5% captured weasels. So they called in reinforcements: specially trained detection dogs that could sniff out weasel scent, scat, and musk.

The dogs couldn't pinpoint exact locations because weasels hide in hard-to-reach thickets and only come out at night. But they guided Myers and Dingerson to the best spots for cameras.

Why This Inspires

What started as a wildlife study became a testament to persistence and friendship. Myers and Dingerson became research partners, roommates, and best friends while spending days driving through Georgia's woods and nights watching endless camera footage together.

Their dedication paid off spectacularly. Using dog-guided camera placement, they achieved an 81% success rate, capturing 77 weasels over 200 days. They found long-tailed weasels across Georgia, including that historic first south Georgia sighting near the Okefenokee Swamp in three decades.

The study also revealed where these creatures prefer to live: near water sources with dense forest cover. Since publishing their findings, people across Georgia have been reporting weasel sightings through the state's biodiversity portal.

Myers says there's still much to learn about weasel behavior and population differences across the state. But for now, they've proven these elusive hunters are still out there, surviving in Georgia's wild spaces, and that combining friendship with science can unlock nature's best-kept secrets.