American Mink
Neovison vison
Mink 2
Identification
The mink can be identified by its size and tracks. A mink is the size of a small cat but slender and their skull is flat and pointed. Male minks are a bit larger than female minks. Minks are dark brown with white spots on their chins and chests. On each foot they have five webbed toes. In their tracks their heels do not show.
Niche
Energy Role
Minks are consumers, because they eat other organisms to get their energy. A mink is a carnivore because it eats animals. The animals they like to eat are, muskrats, mice, rabbits, birds, and chipmunks. Minks are an important species in the ecosystem, they are prey for, wolves, coyote, bobcats, and even humans.
Other Roles in the Ecosystem
Mink are the main hunters of small animals all over their area. Humans are are a big predator to minks. Mink pelts have for awhile been chosen as one of the most deluxe furs on retail. Since the mid 1900s mink ranches were settled to help bring more steady pelt amount to the exchange.
Sources:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_natural_predators_of_the_Mink?#slide=2
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Neovison_vison/
Scat Tracks of the Northeast.
By: James C. P.H.D and Jim Bruchac
Wetland, Woodland, Wildland :A Guide to the Natural Communities of Vermont
By: Elizabeth H. Thompson
Sources and Credits
- (c) Rick Leche - Photography, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/64649343@N00/431445262
- Adapted by mtastudent from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neovison_vison
