Mink

The American Mink have a long slender body which is around 12-22 inches (30-55 cm) long. They have short webbed legs which make them an excellent swimmer. The little minks have a long tail and its tail itself comprises of one-third of its body. It has thick glossy hair usually brown to black in color throughout its body and a patch of white under the chin and throat. The soft furs of the minks are covered with waterproof oily hair.
The minks originated in North America, and American Minks are found throughout the United States and Canada except for few places on the tundra and the southwestern USA like Arizona, Hawaii, Southern New Mexico, southern and central Utah, western Texas and southern California.
The American mink is a semi-aquatic animal and it spends a lot of time inside water hunting for preys. They are nocturnal animals however are active throughout the year. The mink are solitary animals that mark and recognize their territories with the smell. They are carnivorous animal and hunt preys bigger than themselves. The minks usually live alone and are with their partner only during breeding seasons. When the minks are threatened they usually snarl and hiss and release a scent that also advertises its territory with the other minks and they purr like a cat when they are happy. he minks are semi-aquatic animals and hence are found in a wetland environment, usually near the streams, rivers or any other water bodies. The mink population at a particular area depends on the food available for them in that area. The minks move into the huts and burrows of the muskrats and other occupants if they are empty or just hunt down the occupants. The minks also live in the cavities made by the stream or the trees. The average life span of a wild mink would be a year to 3 years. This statistics however comprises of the younger minks that easily fall prey to the predators or die of disease or starvation. Once they reach adulthood and are capable enough to hunt their food, they may live up to four years to seven years. However the domestic minks may live for longer period. American Minks mating season starts from February to April. The male and the female minks have several partners. The female gives birth by late April or early May. When the mating season starts, the male minks wander far away in search of females. It takes almost a month for the fertilization and implantation of the eggs, gestation period would be around 51 days.
Category:Weasels
Category:Carnivores
Category:Mammals