the mustelidae family

part five the mink.

Not everyone`s favourite animal,the mink was first introduced in the 1920`s from north America,But the fur farms had inadequate fencing so many escaped to populate Britain.It has now established a healthy population.The mink is mainly active at night,Its habitat includes rivers,lakes and canal sides.The mink has a chocolate brown fur that looks black from a distance.The male has about a sixteen inch head and body with a five inch tail,The female is slightly smaller than the male.Mink`s swim really well and will eat slow moving prey,Such as eels and crayfish but they will also eat trout and young salmon,Water birds such as moorhens and coots may well be eaten by the mink along with their nestlings.The water vole population has also been decimated by the introduction of the mink,As the mink catches more food on land than the otter including rabbits,voles and other small creatures..Mink don`t really compete with otters for food but they may stop the otter from recolonising new habitats.Minks mate between February and march and One litter of up to six kits are born in may,The kits are born in a den of waterside stones or tree roots.The male will travel long distances to mate with a female.The gestation period is between 49 and 51 days but may appear longer due to delayed implantation of the embryo.The kits are weaned after about eight to ten weeks and leave to establish their own dens after about three months.They become sexually mature in time for the following years breeding season.A mink has a more pointed snout,darker colour and are smaller than an otter so can be distinguished from an otter when swimming.