American Mink
Scientific Name: Neovison vison
The American mink has a long body, which allows the species to enter the burrows of prey. Its streamlined shape helps it to reduce water resistance while swimming. Their coat is thick and waterproof, and their toes are partially webbed – showcasing their semi-aquatic nature.
The Minks slick dark brown fur becomes denser, longer, and softer in the winter. The tail is darker than the trunk and sometimes becomes pure black on the tip. They have white patches on their chin, chest, and throat.
The American mink relies heavily on sight when foraging. Its eyesight is clearer on land than underwater. Its auditory perception is high enough to detect the ultrasonic vocalizations of rodent prey. Its sense of smell is comparatively weak.
Adult size: 18 to 27 in
Weight: 1.5 to 3.5 lbs
Life span: Mink can live up to 10 years in the wild
Maturity: 10 months
Litter size: 1-8
Fun Fact
Mink purr when they are happy!
Diet
The American mink is a carnivorous animal that feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and birds. It kills vertebrate prey by biting the back of the head or neck, leaving canine puncture marks.
The American mink often kills birds, including larger species like seagulls and cormorants, by drowning. Occasionally they will eat ducks and other waterfowl as well. In its natural range, fish are its primary prey. Diet varies depending on the season but mostly consists of aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, and cray fish. They will also eat small mammals such as shrews, mice, rabbits and even muskrat.
Habitat
The American mink is a semi-aquatic mammal and its habitat is closely tied to waterways, and it typically lives in environments such as: rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, marshes and swamps, and coastal areas. They require dense vegetation for cover and den sites, access to water which is essential for hunting prey like fish, amphibians, and crustaceans and shoreline burrows or dens - often dug into riverbanks or taken over from other animals.
American minks are territorial and prefer solitary living. They are adaptable and can live in a variety of climates, from temperate forests to colder boreal zones, as long as there's sufficient aquatic habitat.
In regions where they’ve been introduced (e.g., parts of Europe), they have colonized similar freshwater and coastal habitats.
Behavior
American mink are solitary and territorial mammals that primarily lead a nocturnal or crepuscular lifestyle, being most active during the night and twilight hours. It is highly adapted to both land and water environments. Minks are excellent swimmers, using their partially webbed feet to dive and chase aquatic prey. Their hunting style is fast and aggressive, and they are known to cache excess food near their dens when prey is abundant.
Each mink maintains and defends a territory, marked with scent from anal glands and feces. Males typically have larger territories that may overlap with those of several females, especially during the breeding season in late winter. Outside of this time, minks are strictly solitary. They create dens along riverbanks, under tree roots, or in hollow logs, often repurposing burrows from other animals like muskrats. These dens are lined with fur, feathers, or dried vegetation to provide warmth and comfort.
The American mink's adaptable behavior and efficient hunting abilities have contributed to its ecological success, both in its native North America and in areas where it has been introduced.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The reproduction and life cycle of the American mink follow a seasonal pattern closely tied to its temperate environment. Mating occurs in late winter, typically between February and March. Females gestation period lasts between 40 and 75 days, and young are born in late spring.
After mating, the fertilized eggs undergo delayed implantation, meaning the embryos do not immediately begin to develop. This delay ensures that the young are born at an optimal time in spring, usually between April and May, when food is more abundant and weather conditions are milder.
The young are born blind, hairless, and entirely dependent on their mother, who provides all parental care. As they grow, they develop fur and open their eyes after a few weeks. By around eight weeks of age, the kits begin to explore outside the den and learn to hunt under their mother's guidance. They are typically weaned by six to ten weeks, but may remain with their mother through the summer before dispersing in the fall to establish their own territories. They reach sexual maturity at about 10 months old, allowing them to breed during the following winter.
Population Status
Mink are listed as of “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means it is not considered to be at risk of extinction in its native range. The species has a wide distribution across North America—from Alaska and Canada through most of the United States—and remains abundant in many areas with suitable aquatic habitats.
Viewing
Mink can be seen near bodies of water including streams, rivers, lakes, freshwater and saltwater marshes and coastlines. They can be seen in the Hudson River Valley, Adirondack and Catskill Mountains, Finger Lakes regions, Long Island, and the Alleghany plateau. Minks are secretive and elusive, so spotting one can be tricky. Look for them near slow-moving streams, ponds, and marsh edges look for mink sign like tracks, droppings, or fish remains.
Range
The American mink has a broad native range across North America, and it has also been introduced to many parts of the world. Found throughout Canada and most of the United States, excluding the arid southwest and parts of the desert west. They are especially common in regions with abundant freshwater, such as: the Northeast, including New York, the Great Lakes region, the Pacific Northwest, Southeastern U.S. wetlands and Alaska, except for the northernmost tundra areas.
In introduced regions, American mink often become invasive, negatively affecting native species, especially ground-nesting birds and small mammals, due to their aggressive hunting and adaptability.
For more information on American mink in New York please visit the NYSDEC page here.
