European Mink
Tagged: animal, animals, bird, cat, fish, invertebrate, mammalMustela lutreola ( image )
Once widespread in Europe, native mink populations are now in rapid decline. The animal’s future is under threat both from humans and from the introduced American mink. Like its American cousin, the European mink inhabits waterside habitats and is found along river banks and at the edges of lakes. It is mainly nocturnal, operating out of a burrow or natural den among tree roots. Some take over burrows made by water voles, but a mink can dig its own home if necessary. Mink are territorial and normally live alone: They tend to be well spaced out, with an average of only one mink per mile of river bank. They swim and dive well, aided by their partly webbed feet, and capture most of their food in the water. They also hunt on land, using their sense of smell to track down small rodents, frogs, and other prey. Only a century ago the European mink was found across northern Europe and in parts of northern Asia. It has been extinct in most of western Europe for decades and is now also extinct in eastern European countries such as Lithuania, probably also in Finland and Poland. It remains widespread in Russia, where over 95 percent of the surviving populations live, but their distribution and exact status are uncertain. Reasons for their decline include eager hunting and trapping for their valuable fur. Mink are easy to catch, so the temptation to overharvest them has not been resisted, and their slow breeding rate has been unable to compensate for heavy losses. Females produce up to seven young but only once a year and the survival rate is often low. Kittens are raised without help from the male and are independent at about 10 weeks. Some disperse 30 miles (50 km) or more, especially in winter, when it may be necessary to travel such distances to find unfrozen water.
Man-Made Hazards
Mink face other problems, including water pollution. They have also been affected by habitat loss, since many rivers have been dammed to provide electricity or modified to prevent floods and allow cultivation of land along their edges. Even in relatively undisturbed areas such as Belarus recent surveys show the mink has been declining. In addition to this, in 1926 American mink were imported into Europe to be reared on fur farms. Many of them escaped and now compete directly with their smaller European cousin for food, dens, and living space. It is also said that male American mink can mate successfully with female European mink. However, although the babies begin to develop, they never survive. Since mink have only one litter a year, crossbreeding means that female European mink waste a whole year’s reproductive effort. It appears that the American species is a more successful survivor, and in under 75 years it has spread throughout Scandinavia, much of Britain, and the Netherlands. Other populations are also spreading rapidly in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. In places where both species of mink occur together, the European mink seems to die out within five to 10 years. In 1992 a special breeding program for the European mink was established with the aim of maintaining a viable population in captivity. In 1997 there were 64 individuals in 10 zoos. In the wild the decline continues at an alarming rate, and the native wild mink seems destined to become extinct in western Europe. Efforts are being made to establish populations on offshore islands, safe from the dangers on the mainland. The European mink is smaller than its American cousin. Only 2 to 3 percent of the remaining population live in Europe. This one has matted fur, having just left the water.
Status
European mink
Mustela lutreola
- Family: Mustelidae
- World population: 30,000-40,000
- Distribution: Belarus, Estonia, France, Georgia, Latvia, Spain, and widely in Russia
- Habitat: River banks near temperate grassland
- Size: Length head/body: 12-18 in (30-45 cm); tail: 4.5-7.5 in (12-19 cm), Weight: 1.3-1.75 lb (550-800 g)
- Form: Small mammal resembling a small, short-legged cat; dark, glossy, brown fur with white around muzzle
- Diet: Rodents, including water voles and muskrats, small birds, and aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish and mollusks
- Breeding: Breeding season February-March; 4-7 young born April-June; 1 litter a year. Life span 7-10 years
- Related endangered species: Wolverine (Gulo gulo) ; Colombian weasel (Mustela felipei) ; pine marten (Manes martes); giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
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