Blog 144: Minks, Shy or Sly August 30, 2016

All images are courtesy of Kristofer Rowe Photograph.

Ever notice the long, skinny critters about 2.5 feet long bounding along the water’s edge between Salt Point and Ladoga Point? Take a good look, as they scurry at 4.0 mph. These are American mink, members of the weasel family, which inhabit the watery wetland margins of freshwater lakes, rivers, streams,

American Mink (Neovison vison)

9% in marshes, 10% lakes, and 12% beaver ponds. Nearly three-quarters of the mink were documented in stream and in beaver pond habitat.

Green represents home range of the American Mink.

Typically, these elusive hunters are seen loping by the water’s edge their elongated bodies, waving tails, and stumpy legs, oftentimes holding a fresh fish.

Small predators, like the mink, are vital to maintain the ecological balance and the health of Salmon Creek and the Salt Point Natural Area. Minks hunt primarily during dusk, dawn, and throughout the night, although I often see them at Ladoga Point in the late morning and dinnertime. Mink don’t hibernate or estivate (summer hibernate), necessitating that they hunt constantly to furnish enough energy to live. They do not readily store fat, which accounts for the animal’s ravenous appetite and the need for such a lush fur coat. Minks are semi-aquatic and stay close to home, traveling only a few hundred yards inland if hunting one of its favorite foods—rabbits. When hunting, the American mink’s bullet-shaped body and stubby legs enable it to scramble about the burrows of rabbits and other small mammals. Mink are opportunistic and consume meals whenever possible, one can subsist on 100% aquatic organisms, 50% of which can be fish, depending on the season.

Keen-eyed Hunter

In summer, mink feast on crayfish and frogs, with the occasional rodent, rabbit, duck, or fish. In cold months, when crayfish are absent in the winter, minks look inland to mostly hunting shrews and rabbits. Mink are top swimmers and use their undulating torpedo-shaped trunk to cut through the water. Oily guard hairs keep the fur waterproof for bouncy and warmth. When minks dive, their hearts start pounding. This state of rapid bradicadia is thought to be an adaptation to conserve oxygen while diving.

American mink with thick dark fur and a touch of white on its chin and throat.

Like other members of the weasel family—river otters, ferrets, fishers, martens, and wolverines—minks also have anal scent glands producing a highly concentrated odor, which they use to mark trails and perhaps for defense. Scent glands may also be located on the throat and chest, containing the same repulsive, malodorous discharge produced in the anal glands. The literature states that weasel scent glands are far more potent and repulsive than a skunk’s

spray. I can only attest to ferret anal scent glands: they exude a sickening, yellow syrup that take a week of scrubbing to wash off. I discovered this during a lab dissection gone-wrong, when I accidently nicked the gland and got soaked in the syrup. Thirty-six years later I can vividly remember the stench. The adult minks live alone and relocate their dens regularly to escape detection by predators, carving tunnels in soft riverbanks or hollow logs, taking over empty beaver lodges, or cleaning out a muskrat dens. Minks are ferociously territorial about their homes and food caches. The sexes meet briefly in late winter to breed and separate again. Mink typically gestate for 40-50 days. However, mink are also capable of delayed implantation during times of stress, where the embryo ceases developing and becomes dormant for up to 75 days. Mink have one litter per year with 4-6 cubs from April to June. Minks in captivity average a lifespan of 8 years. Natural predators of mink include great-horned owls, bobcats, and fox. Humans, however, present a much greater danger. Minks are no match for motor vehicles, especially at night. Mink are still trapped and regularly farmed for their luxurious fur. it’s a treat for me to see the mink scurrying about the points. I always attempt to identify what the mink has caught and is bringing home, but is often mangled and unrecognizable.

Eyes to the sky, Candace Candace E. Cornell Friends of the Salt Point Natural Area Lansing, NY

Local Ospreys Information

Enjoy the Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail at www.tinyurl.com/CayugaLakeOspreys For more information on our local ospreys, please visit the Ospreys of Salt Point at http://www.lansingrec.com/opreys. Enjoy the seasonal blog on the Salt Point ospreys, On Osprey Time, at http: //www.lansingrec.com/parks/20-saltpoint/salt-point-articles/27-onosprey-time.

If you see an osprey nest in the Finger Lakes, which is not on the Cayuga Lake Osprey Trail, please report its location to: cec222@gmail.com.

Guest Photographer:

All images are property of Kristofer Rowe Photography and used with his permission: www.facebook.com/KristoferRowePhotography.

Kristofer Rowe