American mink

[Delta]

caught a few not so well focused photo's of this little male mink at the river 3/14/09

[Bifcus16]

Hi Delta,

I know they make coats out of them, but really know nothing else about these creatures. It looks wet - do they swim? How big are we talking? It looks kinda rat like - do they burrow?

Lyn

[Delta]

Hi Delta,

I know they make coats out of them, but really know nothing else about these creatures. It looks wet - do they swim? How big are we talking? It looks kinda rat like - do they burrow?

Lyn

Lyn,
They live near creeks and other water sources, they have web feet and yes they swim extremely well. They eat all sorts of stuff, but mainly muskrat, other small rodents, fish, crayfish, birds and bird eggs, they are quite the little predator. Many a hen house have been raided by them. This one was a male, around 24 inches long, and 3 lbs or so I guess. Ferrets, weasel, otter, martin, wolverine are all in the same family.

[tex]

Dan,

Nice shots. I know there are mink around here where I live, (along the creeks), because I see their sign, but I have never seen one of the little buggers. I can vividly remember when I was a kid, though, and we still raised chickens, (before the coyotes and bobcats moved in and made that a lost cause), and occasionally when we went to open the hen house in the morning, there would be a bloody chicken carcass or three, with mangled or missing heads, and my dad would mutter a few foul words under his breath, including the word "mink". It seems the little blighters can crawl through very small holes, and they love to suck blood. Otherwise, they're pretty nifty little critters.

Tex

[Bifcus16]

Thanks guys,

I've fed otters at the zoo, and seen pet ferrets, so that gives me a much better idea. And I admit to thinking a wolverine was type of small wolf (or an x-men character).

Learnt something new today

Lyn