### animal | vertebrate | mammal:

Mink
* Most minks develop glands
  - eat fish
  - feed on voles
  - grow on farms
* Most minks have eyes
  - teeth
  - live for periods
* Most minks reach maturity
  - sexual maturity
* Some minks belong to families
  - die of diseases
  - dig own burrows
* Some minks eat frogs
  - mice
  - emerge from dens
  - establish dens
  - excavate own burrows
* Some minks feed diets
  - experimental diets
* Some minks have cousins
  - european cousins
  - few natural enemies
  - short legs
* Some minks kill birds
  - turkeys
  - occupy ranges
  - prefer water
  - remain in dens
  - survive years
* always have a white spot ont heir chest and under their chin.
* are animals
  - by nature semi-aquatic animals who can travel long distances each day
  - carnivorous animals
  - common where abundant downfall and debris creates cover for foraging
  - dark chocolate-brown
  - nocturnal creatures, so the best time to check for their capture is in the morning
  - people
  - polygamous, and courtship is aggressive and sometimes vicious
  - protected in most states and can only be caught during the designated seasons
  - small, short-legged members of the weasel family
  - solitary, territorial animals and are intolerant of other minks
  - truly carnivores
* can cause heavy mortality among juvenile muskrats.
* communicate using odors, visual signals, and sounds.
* depend heavily on aquatic areas
  - wetlands
  - on aquatic habitat
* differ from other animals in that the actual act of mating is what initiates ovulation.
* frequently carry or drag prey to their dens before consuming it.
* have a very strong sense of smell
  - bullet heads, cartridge bodies, and smoky tails
* have excellent hearing and sight, and a good sense of smell
  - senses of vision, smell, and hearing
  - experience
  - hand experience
  - many different personality traits, habits, and capabitilites
  - noses
  - very unique physical features
  - whiskers, but they are difficult to see
  - cell membranes
  - chest cavities
  - corpi
  - piluses
  - plasma membranes
  - vacuoles
* inhabiting the prairie sloughs primarily target frogs , tadpoles , and mice.
* live in North America
  - dens under tree roots, bridge crossings, and rock piles, and in holes in stream banks
  - longer on fur farms than they do in the wild
* maintain hunting territories by marking an area with a strong odor from their scent glands.
* molt twice a year.
* occasionally are prey for owls, bobcats, foxes, and domestic dogs
  - kill more than they can eat
* pose problems.
* prefer to tackle young or sick 'rats, because a mature adult puts up a brisk defense.
* prey on many different animals that live near the water.
* receive diets.
* start life hairless and helpless, but they learn to hunt within two months.
* tend to eat more fish in winter when fish are more accessible.
* travel more than most furbearers, covering up to ten miles a night.

### animal | vertebrate | mammal | mink:

American mink
* Most american minks reach maturity
* Some american minks have cousins
  - distribution
  - european cousins
  - kill prey
* are usually solitary animals.

European mink
* Most european minks feed on voles.
* Some european minks eat frogs
* are solitary animals, and live in dens close to fresh water.
* have slender, flexible bodies, bushy tails, and webbed paws.

Female mink
* Most female minks reach maturity
* are sexually mature at one year of age.
* is generally lighter in weight, softer and more supple than male mink.
  - sexual maturity
  - their adult weight by the fall of their first year

Male mink
* Some male minks avoid contact.
* Some male minks feed diets
  - experimental diets

Wild mink
* Some wild minks survive years.
* are territorial.