Minks (Mustilidae)

Within the past year, over a million minks on fur farms had to be killed. This is because they are known for being a vector for COVID-19. So we should spend a little time learning more about minks, as most people probably do not think much about the animals themselves.

Physical Description and Behavior

To start off, we need to understand that minks come in various species. The two main Genus' are Neovision and Mustela. This includes the European Mink, the American Mink, and the Sea Mink. Despite being different Genus', they overall have similar body structures and are used for similar reasons by humans.

Fun fact: Minks can be trained to hunt out pests such as rats. They make good pest control animals and are incredibly smart animals overall.

Minks are similar to weasels, being dark-colored, semiaquatic, and carnivorous. They are about 2 pounds in the wild, but farmed minks can be as much as 7 pounds. They are long, but only about 25 inches if you include their 5-inch tail. Although they rarely live past 3 years in the wild, they can live upwards of 10 years in captivity.

Habitat and Location

Minks can be found near Russia in the case of the European Mink. For the American mink, they can be found natively in most of the US and Canada. They have been introduced to the UK, Sweden, Demark, France, Spain, and Russia.

One of the main uses for minks is the use of their fur to make fashionable clothing. For this reason, minks can be found all over the world. This is a cruel injustice that needs to end, and thankfully many countries have started to phase out fur farming for this very purpose.

Check out more about this frisky animal by watching the video below.