That Touch of Mink

Nature 3 Minutes

The word “mink” is used for the two sole species of these animals still residing on the planet.

These semi-aquatic species are the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola).

American mink roam all over both Canada and the United States, although they are nonexistent in a handful of states and regions — think Arizona and Hawaii.

European mink, true to their monikers, live all the way across the pond in nations such as Spain, France and Russia.

Although both types of mink are undeniably similar animals, they have their fair share of individual qualities, too.

The American mink is larger and more adaptable than the European mink but, due to variations in size, an individual mink usually cannot be determined as European or American with certainty without looking at the skeleton.

In the wild, mink are small, discreet, and most often nocturnal, and they live in close proximity to water.

The lifespan of minks is about 3 years in the wild and up to 10 years in captivity.

The male weighs about 2.2 lb and is about 24 in in length. The female weighs about 1.32 lb and reaches a length of about 20 in. The sizes above do not include the tail which can be from 5.0 in to 9.0 in.

The body is long and slender with short legs and a pointy, flat face. The toes are partially webbed, showing the mink’s semi-aquatic nature.

A mink’s rich glossy coat in its wild state is brown and looks silky, but farm-bred mink can vary from white to almost black. Their pelage is deep, rich brown, with or without white spots on the underparts, and consists of a slick, dense underfur overlaid with dark, glossy, almost stiff guard hairs.

Minks have excellent senses of vision, smell, and hearing.

A mink can run at speeds up to 8 mph.

Minks are carnivores. The diet of mink varies with the season. During the summer it consists of crayfish and small frogs, along with small mammals such as shrews, rabbits, mice, and muskrats. Fish, ducks and other water fowl provide additional food choices. In the winter, they primarily prey on mammals.

Mink are very territorial animals. A male mink will not tolerate another male within its territory, but appears to be less aggressive towards females. Generally, the territories of both male and female animals are separate, but a female’s territory may sometimes overlap with that of a male.

Mink communicate using a variety of cues, including chemical, visual, and auditory signals. They are fairly quiet, but rely heavily on chemical signaling for communicating territorial boundaries and reproductive status.

The breeding season lasts April to May. Although the true gestation period is 39 days, the embryo may stop developing for a variable period, so that as long as 76 days may elapse before the litter arrives. Between 45 and 52 days is normal. There is only one litter per year. They may have between six and ten cubs or kittens per litter. Young are weaned at about 10 weeks, and begin tracking and capturing prey. Young begin to disperse at about 2.5 to 4 months.

Mink have few natural enemies. They are occasionally killed by coyotes, bobcats and other carnivores, but their main threat remains humans.

These creatures are related to ermines, ferrets and weasels and look much like their relatives.

The main threat towards mink survival is the continued existence of the fur market.

Mink pelts have for years been considered one of the most luxurious furs on the market. Originally all fur came from natural populations, causing a severe strain on the species.

However, starting in the mid-1900s, mink ranches were established to help bring a more consistent pelt supply to the market. Ranching was very successful, with the number of mink ranches in the United States reaching a high of 7200 during the mid-1960s.

Mink are kept in captivity primarily for the production of their fur.

Source: JustFunFacts

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Published by pat frederick

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211 thoughts on “That Touch of Mink”

  1. Liked by 1 person

  2. Troublemaker10
    Troublemaker10
    May 23, 2023 11:55 am

    DeSantis

    Rob DeSantis is announcing his campaign against Trump tomorrow at the Four Seasons hotel in Miami.

    Average cost per night at the hotel? Over $1k dollars.

    Also the venue he’s announcing at can only fit a couple hundred people.

    Will be a total snooze fest!

    — Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) May 23, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Like

  4. “Consolidation of the Corporatocracy, Brought to you by BlackRock Inc. and the Vanguard Group–Two Investment Management Firms to Rule Them All”
    RYAN DELARME
    MAY 23, 2023

    EXCERPT: “One of the primary enemies in this 5G War is what has been called the “corporatocracy”. Several decades back it was a college of corporations who were the financial weapons of mass destruction, but it wasn’t always easy to get them to work together. Now, this college of corporations has been consolidated under a handful of…[corporations? missing in article]

    The public is starting to become aware of just how powerful some of these multinational investment companies are. The most popular among these companies is BlackRock, Inc., which just so happens to be partnered with Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum. If you were to look at a list of the biggest shareholders of any given major parent company, you tend to see the same names at the top of the institutional holders list: Blackrock, Inc, and the Vanguard Group, among several others. These are the two largest investment companies in the world.

    To really hammer home just how pervasive these groups are, let’s consider the perspective of the average consumer. Say you’re going to your local supermarket to pick up some orange juice. For this example, let’s say you’re in Western Michigan and you’re shopping at a FamilyFare. Typically, you’re going to be presented with at least two options for your OJ: Minute Made or Tropicana. Both of these orange juice brands are subsidiaries of larger corporations. In this case, Minute Made is owned by The Coca-Cola Company, and Tropicana is largely owned by PepsiCo. (#)(#)

    Both of these companies are in the S&P 500 index, meaning they are among the 500 biggest companies in the world. (#) It’s worth noting that all packaged food brands are owned by a dozen or so larger parent companies. Pepsi Co. owns a long list of food, beverage, and snack brands, as do Coca-Cola, Nestle, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Unilever, Mars, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Danone and Associated British Foods.

    Together, these parent companies monopolize the packaged food industry, as virtually every food brand you find at a typical supermarket belongs to one of them. So all the big brands are owned by bigger megacorporations, but in a sense, these megacorporations could also be seen as subsidiaries of their largest investors. If you were to look up the primary shareholders of any given corporation, you might notice that the top institutional shareholders are, more often than not The Vanguard Group and Blackrock, Inc.

    Here’s a list of PepsiCo’s top institutional investors:

    If you run the same check on the Coca-Cola Company, you’ll find both names at the top of that list as well (just below Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway.) (#)(#)

    https://undergroundnewswire.substack.com/p/consolidation-of-the-corporatocracy

    Liked by 1 person

  10. “Some good news! (Really) — Yulia Hicks, the North Carolina girl denied a kidney transplant by Duke University surgeons because she was not vaccinated against Covid, will get her new kidney Thursday”
    ALEX BERENSON
    MAY 23, 2023

    EXCERPT: “Finally, a happy ending. In December, I wrote about Yulia Hicks, a 14-year-old North Carolina girl denied a lifesaving kidney transplant for the crime of being unvaccinated. Transplant surgeons at Duke University Hospital told her parents that Yulia could not stay on the transplant list if she did not have a Covid shot, even though she had already had Covid. The story, which Fox News picked up, led to a wave of publicity – and more than 30 potential donors stepped forward. Fortunately, one was a match.

    Now, another North Carolina hospital has stepped up, and Yulia will receive a new kidney from a live donor tomorrow. Yulia’s life has not been easy. She came from Ukraine to the United States in December 2018 and was given up by her first two adoptive families before the Hickses adopted her in 2021. She suffers from Senior Loken Syndrome, a genetic condition that damages her kidneys and eyes.

    But she remains optimistic, her mother Christine said in an email. “Yulia is the most easy-going child I have ever met,” Christine said. “We are looking at one week of hospitalization, and she plans to read, write and play card games.” Yulia, whose birthday is in June, asked only that she have an early birthday party because she knows she will face months of quarantine after the transplant as her body accepts the new kidney, Christine said.”

    Original article included: https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/some-good-news-really

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “Mt. Fuji looks like a giant zit from the ISS…”




    “A NEW museum has opened up featuring the strangest things left behind in lost suitcases, including a goblin puppet and a gas mask. The Unclaimed Baggage Museum is a collection of more than 100 bizarre items that have fallen into the possession of the store bearing the same name. The museum, which opened its doors in Scottsboro, Alabama on April 21, is an extension of the Unclaimed Baggage Center. Established in 1970, the Unclaimed Baggage Center began when Doyle Owens, an insurance salesperson, borrowed a pickup truck and $300 and used that to purchase 100 orphaned suitcases.The luggage was left behind by travelers on the Trailway Bus Line in Washington D.C. Owens brought the bags back to Scottsboro where they sold within that first day.

    In the more than 50 years since Owens began the Unclaimed Baggage Center, the store has grown into a 50,000-square-foot facility that works with many major airlines.”

    Liked by 1 person

  16. i admit I am not a lawyer and i didn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night either…so can anyone tell me how it’s legal for jean carol (iirc) to simply ASK the judge to add MORE to what she “won” in her lawsuit against Trump?
    doesn’t she have to PROVE anything? this is a NEW CASE. he may be “guilty” all over again but you just don’t get to say i deserve more–he’s still doing it–damages to a previous case. there are new circumstances…
    I understand lumping all the different times something has occurred into one case AT THE START but to simply try to add them in after a judgement is rendered seems illegal to me…???

    Liked by 1 person

    1. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

      Troublemaker10
      May 23, 2023 3:08 pm
      Reply to Troublemaker10

      DeSantis Ducks Campaign Launch Event, Will Announce on Twitter With Elon Musk.

      Excerpt:

      One Trump advisor told the Pulse: “Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions.”

      https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/05/23/desantis-ducks-campaign-launch-event-will-announce-on-twitter-with-elon-musk/

      Liked by 1 person

  18. SunnyFlower5
    May 23, 2023 3:05 pm

    BREAKING: Texas Legislators have passed SB 1070 effectively removing ERIC.

    

    🚨BREAKING: Texas Legislators have passed SB 1070 effectively removing ERIC. pic.twitter.com/sTVTFNpykB

    — Merissa_Hansen🇺🇸🦅 (@merissahansen17) May 23, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  22. oh this is RICH! Neely’s uncle arrested for stolen credit and debit cards, carrying a knife
    FTA
    EXCLUSIVE: Jordan Neely’s uncle who called for no plea deal for Daniel Penny over subway chokehold death is ARRESTED in NYC ‘after being caught with knife and several stolen credit cards’

    Jordan Neely’s uncle Christopher Neely, 44, was arrested Monday after being caught with several allegedly stolen credit cards and a gravity knife
    Police charged Neely with criminal possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, bail jumping and unlawful possession of a weapon
    This came a day after he spoke out to say if Daniel Penny gets a plea deal, the former Marine may kill another young man on the subway

    Christopher Neely, 44, was arrested late Monday night after running away from a police pickpocket team that confronted him at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, police sources said

    Christopher Neely, 44, was arrested late Monday night after running away from a police pickpocket team that confronted him at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, police sources said

    Jordan Neely’s uncle fled police and then was arrested Monday after being caught with several allegedly stolen credit cards, a day after he urged no plea deal for the ex-Marine accused of placing his nephew in a fatal chokehold, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

    Christopher Neely was arrested late Monday night after running away from a police pickpocket team that confronted him at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, police sources said.

    He was wanted for a string of larcenies in Manhattan when he was approached. After police caught up with him, Neely was found with several credit and debit cards baring other people’s names, including at least one that was reportedly stolen during a prior pickpocket. He was also carrying a gravity knife, sources said.

    After being arrested, he acknowledged to officers that he was the uncle of Jordan Neely, the homeless street performer who died May 1 after a deadly encounter on a subway train in Lower Manhattan.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12115667/Jordan-Neelys-uncle-called-no-plea-deal-Daniel-Penny-ARRESTED.html

    Liked by 1 person

  23. “Everything is rainbowish right now… An ‘extremely rare’ rainbow sea slug was spotted along the coast of England…”

    “A human Holstein… Supermodel Winnie Harlow has a skin condition called vitiligo…” [NF: Hard to believe she really looks like this but Michael Jackson had it, too]

    NF: Ewww!!! Creepy-looking fish near the Mariana Trench]

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I think I’ve finally found a silicone pan that will work inside the Oriole cage at WalMart on-line. It is only 6″ around, which is about the size of the original bowl, and a jello-mold style so it should sit on the hump in the center of the bottom, less than 3″ deep, which is what I need. It doesn’t have velcro on the bottom but I can use the small bungees to hold it down on the base easily. The only color available was pink! LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Like

  29. Troublemaker10
    May 23, 2023 5:21 pm

    DeSantis

    Yes @JennaEllisEsq, Trump’s launch was less elite

    He invited small anonymous accs like me, along with bikers, small business owners & other everyday Americans into his club to watch him announce

    Ron is announcing in front of a small group of mega donors pic.twitter.com/k8mAQFzkBI

    — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 23, 2023

    Like

  30. Troublemaker10
    Troublemaker10
    May 23, 2023 5:19 pm

    Julie Kelly 🇺🇸
    @julie_kelly2

    Buckle up, folks.

    Prosecutors working for Merrick Garland’s handpicked special prosecutor have interviewed every employee at Mar-A-Lago including maids and a valet.

    Smith will present an obstruction case, little to do with classified documents.

    Cont…

    Meanwhile, Obama and his administration actively worked to overturn an election, spy on a sitting President and commit treason by trying to overthrow a sitting President with officials in DOJ and Deep State and nothing is done. Nothing is done about the classified material Biden,… https://t.co/MRstIpMkur

    — Debbie Dooley (@Crimsontider) May 23, 2023

    Like

  31. 🚨BREAKING: Florida Rep. @realannapaulina files privileged resolution to censure Adam Schiff & fine him $16 Million for his involvement with illegal spying on US President exposed in Durham report

    “I look forward to an imminent vote to hold this feckless man accountable”

    LFG🔥 pic.twitter.com/XsMmc7UBEC

    — DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) May 23, 2023

    Like

  32. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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