Project Description
American Mink
Mustela vison
Range/Geographical Distribution: Throughout most of Canada and the United States except the Canadian Arctic and the desert southwest.
Habitat: Streams, lakes, swamps, and marshes.
Description: Small semiaquatic mammal with a long, low body. Body a dark brown with a white spot on the chin and sometimes on the chest.
Size: Head and body 12-16 inches long and tail six to eight inches long. Can weigh up to 2.5 lbs.
Food: Hunts in water during the summer and on land during the winter. Eats small mammals, crayfish, frogs, snakes, and birds.
Breeding: Breeds early in the year and has up to ten babies in April or May.
Predators: Birds of prey, owls, fox, coyotes, lynx, and otters.
Conservation Status: Listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Interesting Facts: American mink are commonly kept on fur farms and escaped animals from these farms can have detrimental effects on native local wildlife due to the mink’s voracious hunting habits. Some countries have already banned these types of fur farms. Mink are good swimmers and excellent tree climbers.
On the Coast: Mink can be seen along Georgia’s coastal waterways scavenging for food and scampering along the edges of the beach or marsh.