FLORIDA MINK
By Rob Norman
Illustrated by Lizabeth West
Ah, the elusive mink! A weasel-like carnivore about the size of a house cat
and semi-aquatic in habit,
this creature is hard to find. It has been sought after for centuries and
almost hunted to extinction for its fine fur.
Generally, mink are glossy, dark chocolate brown in appearance with a
slender body up to 2 feet long, short legs and a 7- to 8-inch bushy tail.
It has small, rounded ears and (in Florida) a white chin. Mink have 34
teeth, with four prominent canine teeth to help kill prey. Mink have rather
long and supple bodies with relatively short legs. There are five toes on
each partially webbed foot.
Wild mink are fierce, solitary carnivores. Their average life span in the
wild is less than three years. The mink is native only to North America.
There are a number of subspecies varying in size, fur quality and
appearance in various geographical locations.
In Florida the mink is found in coastal habitats along the Gulf Coast south
to Hernando County and along the Atlantic Coast south to Matanzas Inlet.
The Everglades Mink is found in shallow freshwater marshes of the
Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp.
Mink are most common along streams partly choked by windfalls and other
debris that offer concealment and numerous water holes. Mink are active
throughout the year. They are tireless wanderers and may travel several
kilometers in search of food, mostly at night. They are occasionally active
during the day, especially just before storms or when it is raining. They
are capable of trailing and stalking live prey, but the fact that they are
attracted to traps by carcasses of birds and other animals suggests they
also feed on carrion. Fish, frogs, clams, freshwater mussels, snakes, rats
and mice, ground squirrels, muskrats and birds constitute their main diet.
In turn, mink are preyed upon by owls, fox, coyotes, bobcats and dogs.
Mink are polygamous. Males range farther than females, especially during
the short breeding season of late February to early March. Females have one
litter per year, usually raising about four young. Gestation times vary
from 40 to 75 days. Females raise their young entirely on their own. They
rarely dig their own dens, but often burrow into exposed muskrat and beaver
lodges above the waterlines.
The trapping or killing of mink in Florida has recently been prohibited by
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Keep your eyes open for this Florida treasure. If you spot the elusive
mink, consider yourself lucky!
Rob Norman is a physician and writer from Tampa.
Images are copyrighted.
Please contact Florida Wildlife Magazine for permissions.