Mink kit

The birding was a bit slow this weekend past at Magee Marsh and vicinity, at least compared to the prior two weekends. But as always will be the case when there are thousands of acres of marshes to explore, other interesting flora and fauna came to light. One of the cutest, albeit most savage, of those finds is featured below.

I was driving down the entrance road to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, when I saw a tiny tubular fur-bearer from the corner of my eye. “Weasel!” shouted I, and stopped for a look. I was hoping it was a Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata, which is fairly common throughout the state but devilishly hard to see well and photograph. But, with a better look the true identity quickly became apparent: the beast was a VERY young Mink, Mustela vison, another member of the weasel family.

The little fellow (young ones are known as kits) was only the size of a large bratwurst – and about that shape – but wasn’t scared of nuthin’, man. Here, he lets me know my place. The grass that he is in is mowed short, giving an idea of its diminutive stature. If all goes well, he’ll get much bigger. Adults can reach over two feet in length and weigh in excess of two pounds.

Here, the tubular shape so characteristic of weasels can be seen. Mink are common all over Ohio, but seldom seen. In all my wanderings, I’ve seen maybe 15-20 of them ever, and most were fleeting glimpses as the animal bounded along a stream bank in that curious undulating graceful flow that marks their modus of locomotion. Mink are largely nocturnal and thus not too likely to be seen well.

Note the streamlined head shape. Mink are strongly semiaquatic, living primarily around water. They can swim well, and are capable of capturing fish. Of course, the dense pelage, or fur, is well known and has superior insulating qualities and is lusciously soft. Its use in fur coats is legendary, and scores were once trapped for the fur industry. Skins of excellent quality could fetch $20.00 in the early 1900’s – a fortune for the times! – but are not worth nearly so much today, especially when inflation is factored in. There were once years when over 10,000 animals would be harvested in Ohio, but nowhere near that number are taken today. Most mink pelts come from animals raised on commercial farms.

Lest you think he is cute, think again. In spite of the tiny size of this youngster, he displayed no fear of me as I photographed him and attempted to herd him away from the road towards the ditch where mother mink lurked. Like all weasels, Mink are voracious predators. They’ll attack, kill and eat almost anything up to their size if not larger. A favorite prey item of this species is Muskrat, which nearly equal a Mink in size. After dispatching and consuming the unfortunate ‘skrat, the Mink will sometimes appropriate the victim’s lodge for a home.

But, to wax anthropomorphic, I guess there is no denying that a baby Mink is thoroughly “cute”.