Details
Mustela lutreola
European mink is a small waterside mustelid of Europe, now reduced to limited remnant populations. Competition with introduced mink, habitat alteration, and pollution contributed to decline.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives along rivers, marshes, lakes, and forest streams with bankside cover and den sites. Main habitat types in this guide are freshwater, forest.
Typical length 35-60 cm, weight 500 g-1.8 kg. A slender body, short legs, dark brown fur, and white around the muzzle are typical.
It is most active around dawn and dusk and usually solitary. It patrols waterside territories alone and hunts by swimming, diving, and searching banks.
It is carnivorous. Fish, frogs, crustaceans, small mammals, and birds are eaten.
Females rear litters in bank burrows, root cavities, or similar shelters.
Wild populations are extremely limited and require strict protection. Competition with introduced mink, habitat alteration, and pollution contributed to decline.
