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752 Featured Specimen
American mink

Details

American mink

Neogale vison

Size
45–70 cm · 0.6–2 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

A semi-aquatic mustelid native to North America. It has a long body, dark glossy fur, and hunts along rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coasts.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
PalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearcticNearctic

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

American mink use rivers, lakes, marshes, wooded streams, and shorelines. Dens are made under roots, logs, banks, and abandoned burrows.

Appearance

The body is slender with short legs and dense dark brown fur. Some individuals have white markings on the chin, throat, or chest.

Behavior

They are mostly solitary and patrol shoreline territories. Strong swimming and diving allow them to hunt in water and enter narrow bank spaces.

Feeding

They catch fish, frogs, crayfish, birds, eggs, and small mammals. Prey choice shifts with water level, season, and local availability.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs in spring, with litters raised in bank dens. Young later learn to hunt along water edges before dispersing.

Notes

Introduced populations from fur farming can become invasive, adding predation pressure to native birds and small mammals.