American Mink (Neovison vison)
An agile hunter being spotted along the shores of ponds and rivers in larger parks around Montreal. American Mink is a semi aquatic species and swims and dives in the water.
- 🇫🇷 Vison d'Amérique
- 🇩🇪 Amerikanischer Nerz
- 🇲🇽 Visón americano
Characteristics
- Length: 40-60cm
- Weight: 0.7-1.5kg
How to Identify
I identify the American Mink by its brown to dark brown fur and its thin, elongated body shape. When observing it swimming at larger distance, it looks very similar to a beaver or muskrat. Fortunately, the fashion of swimming is different as it lacks the typical tail movement of beavers or muskrats.
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Where and When to Spot
I saw American Minks in two parks around Montreal: Rapids Park Lachine and Park de la Frayere. The animal can be active during the day and with a bit luck you can observe it hunting for birds and smaller mammals.
Observations by Park and Season
| Location | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parc de la Frayère | x | - | - | - |
"-" indicates no observation. It may not necessarily mean though that the species is absent from the park during that season.