Mink Picture

It takes more than a look at a Mink Picture to fully understand the animal and its economic importance. Mink have long been valuable for their fine quality fur that is still used in clothing industry. Today, there seems to be no need to catch wild Mink for fur, because there are Mink farms, where Mink are bred for this purpose.

There are two best known Mink species today: the American Mink (Mustela vision) and the European Mink (Mustela lutreola). Both species belong to the Mustelidae family, along with weasel, otter, polecat, etc. Mink are predators, and they feed on small mammals (rabbits), rodents, birds, waterfowl and fish. They are excellent swimmers and can hunt in water. If you look at a Mink Picture and compare it to those of other Mustelids, you will notice a striking resemblance between various species.

American Mink are larger than their European counterparts. They measure 16-18 inches in length, not including the tail. Males are larger than females. The tail is densely coated, and measures about 9 inches long. The coat is chocolate brown and glossy on the upper parts. American Mink have a white patch on the throat extending to the lower lip. The coat features a thick matted undercoat, and the upper coat consists of long and bristle hairs. The coat of southern Mink feels harsher than that of the northern Mink. American Mink are very similar to European Mink, and there are only a few differences that you can easily understand if you closely examine a couple of Mink Pictures.

American Mink are more aggressive than European Mink. When they were brought into Europe in 1929, a few of them escaped and inflicted a serious damage to local environment by killing waterfowl and rodents. American Mink are wasteful killers. More often than not, they kill more game than they can eat. This behavior has earned them the notoriety of importunate pests. Mink are territorial animals. They live near water, and their home ranges may extend several miles along a river or stream. Usually, there are several mink dens per home range. If you would like to access more detailed information on Mink, you can find and study a good Mink site with a colorful Mink Picture posted on it.