In the wild there are two species of mink, European and American, the latter a denizen of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. A third species, the Sea mink, lived on the northern eastern coast of the United States but was hunted to extinction to satisfy European demand for high-quality fur sometime in the 1860s.
The American mink is considered be the “cutest” member of the weasel family. Its long slender body, short legs and pointed snout are perfectly adapted to entering and exiting burrows. Its streamlined torso and webbed feet make it a powerful swimmer when in the water searching for prey. Mink, in fact, are considered to be semi-aquatic mammals. They can swim as far as 100 feet in the water, can dive as deep as 15 feet, and individual mink may dive as many as 100 times each day in search of food.
Mink are carnivores and fierce hunters. Despite their diminutive size of between one and half and three and a half pounds they have been seen going after prey larger than themselves. For the most part they are content tracking down and eating rabbits, mice, fish, frogs and sundry waterfowl.
As proficient as they are in the water, mink are no slouches when it comes to getting around on the ground, either. They move quickly and are agile. They are also skilled climbers, able to climb high into trees, jump around from limb to limb while they’re up there, and come back down – headfirst. These arboreal talents enable mink to take advantage of yet another food source – eggs and young birds.
The mink’s semi-aquatic lifestyle, and their tendency to occasionally take to the trees, means they are most often found near streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands where tree cover is abundant. Mink dig dens or live in hollow logs which they line with grass, fur, leaves and even fur from their prey and prefer areas of dense vegetation which provide cover.
Generally quiet animals, mink communicate using a variety of visual and chemical signals. They can and do, however, purr like a cat when content and hiss when threatened. They have a bounding gait, and excellent vision, sense of smell and hearing.
Mink mark territorial boundaries with skunk-like secretions from enlarged anal glands. Although they can’t spray the secretions like skunks can, most animals find the smell off-putting and steer clear. The animal doesn’t have many enemies in the wild, but they are occasionally hunted by coyotes, bobcats or large raptors.
Loners by nature, mink only get together during breeding season to make baby mink, and it doesn’t seem to matter to them who they get together with. The animals are polygynandrous, meaning they usually have multiple sexual partners.
Female mink, called sows, give birth to one to eight kits, also called pups. The kits are weaned at six to 10 weeks of age and are on their own at six to 10 months. For the record, male mink are called boars.
American mink can be found throughout the United Sates and Canada in all but the most arid climes in the desert southwest. They are farmed commercially for their high-quality fur and for cosmetic grade mink oil.
Mink are often found in sentences needing objects. For example, under a picture of a woman wearing furs is the sentence, “A mink stole.” What did the larcenous little guy steal? No one knows, but it must have been something important because they skinned him for stealing it.
Dawn and dusk are the best time to see mink with their coats intact along the auto routes and walking trails of the refuges.
The Merced National Wildlife Refuge (located at 7430 West Sandy Mush Road), the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road.
The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the refuge visitor center at 209-826-3508, ext. 127 or check out the upcoming events on the website at fws.gov/refuge/san-luis.
