What is the maximum volume of prey a weasel can consume daily relative to its own mass?

Answer

Up to 40% of its body weight each day

The physiological demands placed on a weasel due to its high metabolism necessitate an extremely high caloric intake relative to its size. The text provides a specific metric, noting that a single weasel is capable of consuming as much as 40% of its own body weight in food over the course of a single 24-hour period just to maintain its basic functions. This level of consumption is crucial because, as small, warm-blooded endotherms, they lose heat rapidly to the environment, forcing a continuous burn of calories. To put this into perspective, the text draws an analogy: a 150-pound human would need to consume over 60 pounds of food daily just to sustain itself, illustrating the sheer volume required by the weasel's biology.

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diet Predator mammal Carnivore weasel