American Mink (Neovison vison)
American mink are an invasive, non-native species, originating in North America. The American mink is a small mammal, with dark brown fur, and small white patches along their chins and throats. American mink were introduced to Europe when they escaped or were set free from fur farms in the 1950s and 60s.
Mink droppings are often left in similar locations are otter droppings, prominent areas out of the water. However, they have a much more pungent foul smell in comparison to lavender scented otter spraints.
Figure 1. American mink distribution across the UK (green) (Mathews et al. 2018).
American mink are now widespread across the UK and pose a threat to our native Water Vole and seabird populations. However, with the increase in otter population their numbers are slowly stabilizing or reducing.
You can help us monitor populations of American mink and their subsequent effects on your local biodiversity by downloading the Mammal Mapper app and participating in our latest project “Walk This Water Way”. All you need to do is walk at least 600m of waterway and record your sightings in the app. Enter the survey ID WTWW and get going!
Need a little encouragement to get out surveying? What if we tell you that the first 50 people to submit 5 or more surveys will receive some lovely photos of our target species and a Mammal Society pin badge! On top of that – the user who logs the most surveys with the survey ID WTWW will get a prize bundle. There’s a separate bundle for the user who logs the most surveys in the UK, and the user who logs the most in Sussex! So, what are you waiting for? Download Mammal Mapper and get recording!
More information about Walk This Water Way can be found here.
Fun facts!
- American mink are larger than European mink
- American mink are territorial animals, and they rely heavily on chemical signalling for communicating these boundaries.
- They are able to swim to depths of 30 meters and dive as far as 5 meters.
