What's Moving with Madi
January 9, 2023
American mink ( Neovison vison) are kind of like a mix between an otter and ferret. Mink, otters, and ferrets all belong to the same scientific family called Mustelidae. Weasels and badgers also belong to family Mustelidae. Animals in the Mustelidae family tend to be small with elongated bodies, short legs, short round ears, and thick fur.
Mink are predatory animals. They tend to hunt frogs, birds, muskrats, fish, and rabbits. Insects can also be part of a mink's diet.
Mink are amazing swimmers. Their feet are partially webbed which help the mink glide through water with ease. In contrast to their more aquatic cousin the otter which uses its ability to see underwater and stay submerged for long periods of time to hunt, mink tend to locate their food from land then dive in to catch prey using their sense of touch.
In addition to being great swimmers, mink are also known to climb trees. It has been suggested that mink climb trees to escape predators and hunt for prey.
Female mink usually have one litter of babies per year. Baby mink are called "kits" and tend to be born in late spring. After mink reach maturity and leave their mothers side, they are usually solitary animals.