M am m al s
Originated in North America. Imported in France for the fur industry (first seen in breeding centres in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments in 1926).
D escription
n A thin, fusiform body, 41 to 62 centimetres long for adults
n Adults vary in weight between 0.6 and 1.8 kilograms
n Sexual dimorphism with males larger than females
n Flattened snout
n Short legs
n Small, round ears
n Dark brown fur over the entire body
n The animals may have a white spot on the chin and/or the throat, in rare cases on the upper lip
E cology and reproduction
n A semi-aquatic species, living exclusively in wetlands:
- small to mid-sized rivers, forest rivers - floodable wooded areas
- marshes, wet meadows and streams through farm land - in maritime environments along inlets, on islands, etc.
n The animals live in burrows dug into river banks and between tree roots, but they can also sleep in the open or in hollow trees
n The species is a generalist carnivore that consumes amphibians, crustaceans, semi-aquatic mammals, birds and eggs, fish, etc.
n The animals can hunt both in water and on land
n Sexual maturity is reached quickly, after just one year:
- mating season from the end of February to the beginning of April - birth of young from March to June, 2 to 7 young per litter
n Life expectancy is 3 to 6 years in the natural environment
D ocumentation
n Sarat E. (coord.) 2012. Vertébrés exotiques envahissants du bassin de la Loire (hors poissons) : connaissances et expériences de gestion.
Office national de la chasse et de la faune sauvage, Plan Loire Grandeur Nature, 128 pp.
n A page on the American mink on the Les petits carnivores de Bourgogne et Franche-Comté internet site:
http://droitnature.free.fr/NouveauSite/visonamerique.htm.
Author: Emilie Mazaubert, Irstea
A merican mink
(Neovison vison) Order
Family Genus Species
Classification Carnivores Mustelidae Neovison Neovison vison(Schreber, 1777)
© Philippe Garguil ©Philippe Garguil© Brendan Lally
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