Mink Facts

Common Characteristics Among All Minks

• Minks often make their homes on the banks of a water source and sometimes will use the burrow holes of other animals. They have webbed feet that aid them in swimming and hunting aquatic prey. Minks are carnivores that eat land and sea animals. The minks' fur is a dark brown shade and some have white patches on the chest, chin or throat. The species mate during winter and are not monogamous. Anywhere from one to eight babies are born in each litter. Male minks are very protective of their territory and prefer to live alone. Minks live from six to 10 years. The main threat to the mink population is human hunting. Mink pelts are legally traded and highly valued.

American Mink

• Neovison vison is the scientific name for the American mink, which measures two feet in length with half of that length being the tail. This is the particular species found in the United States and has been located in 48 of 50 states, reports Nature Works. They are not found in Hawaii or Arizona. Many states still allow mink trapping and the length of the trapping season varies by state. Mink ranches are located around the United States so the valued pelts are available with less of a strain on the native population of the species.

European Mink

• The scientific name of the European mink is Mustela lutreola. They are native to much of Europe including Russia, Spain and France. Considered critically endangered, the Animal Diversity Web reports that less than 30,000 individuals may be left in the wild. According to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, their population decline is a result of competition for food and resources from the introduction of the American mink once raised in fur farms in the region.

Sea Mink

• This now extinct mink has the scientific name Neovison macrodon. This type of mink lived from the Maine coastline up to the New Brunswick, Canada, coastline. Sea mink were twice as long as American mink. The fur of the sea mink appeared more red or auburn than the brown fur of the American mink. Because the species is extinct, information about their diet, mating habits and life span is unknown.