There are two living species referred to as "mink": the American Mink and the European Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and the otters. The American Mink is larger, and more adaptable than the European Mink. It is sometimes possible to distinguish between the European and American mink; a European Mink always has a large white patch on its upper lip, while the American species sometimes does not. Thus, any mink without such a patch can be identified with certainty as an American Mink, but an individual with a patch cannot be certainly identified without looking at the skeleton.
Ten Facts about Mink
- The male weighs about 1 kg (2.2 lb) and is about 61 cm (24 in) in length. Farm bred males can reach 3.2 kg (7.1 lb). The female weighs about 600 g (1.32 lb) and reaches a length of about 51 cm (20 in).
- A mink's rich glossy coat in its wild state is brown and looks silky, but farm-bred mink can vary from white to almost black, which is reflected in the British wild mink.
- The breeding season lasts April to May.
- The true gestation period is 39 days, the embryo may stop developing for a variable period, so that as long as 76 days may elapse before the litter arrives. Between 45 and 52 days is normal.
- There is only one litter per year. They may have between six and ten cubs or kittens per litter.
- The average lifespan of a mink is 8 years in captivity, with the maximum usually around 10 years.
- Mink prey on fish and other aquatic life, small mammals, birds and eggs; adults may eat young mink.
- Great Horned Owls, bobcat, and fox are the natural predators of mink. However, mink are much more frequently killed by human activity.
- Mink are widespread in Britain's mainland, except in the mountainous regions of Scotland, Wales and the Lake District. They are also found in the Isles of Arran and Lewis. In Ireland they are less common.
- Minks like to live near water and are seldom found far from riverbanks, lakes and marshes.
