Nature’s Notes: Mink sighted in Corridor

Corridor residents may be surprised to spot a consummate carnivore dashing about their backyard. In fact, our neighbors spotted one at their small outside Christmas tree just outside the door in broad daylight.

American mink are more common than most people realize and recently many have been spotted some distance from wetlands where they prefer to live. Mink hunt birds, mice, cottontails and other suburban wildlife. They are adept at snatching goldfish from tiny backyard ponds.

Often mink are mistaken for otters or weasels. All are members of the weasel family and share similar traits. They are extremely active year-round in their quest for enough food to sustain a high metabolism. They sometimes kill and eat prey larger than themselves.

In Iowa, mink are more common than weasels and it is relatively easy to distinguish between them. Weasels are tiny. The least weasel is the smallest mammalian carnivore in North America and weighs but 2.5 ounces, less than a small tube of hand cream, and is only about 8 inches long — shorter than an ear of corn. In contrast, a typical mink is 13 to 18 inches long and weighs up to 3 pounds. The only other animal that could be confused with a mink is a river otter, but they are much larger and normally weigh more than 11 pounds.

Otters generally stay close to water and aren't spotted often in backyards. If the animal is the size of a small gray squirrel, it's likely a mink.

Mink are usually nocturnal and are most often sighted when the light is low at dawn and dusk, but they are sometimes out in bright sunshine. Although their fur color greatly varies, Iowa mink are often coal black.

American mink are valuable furbearers that were introduced to Europe years ago. They became an invasive pest overseas and are reducing numbers of a native mink species. In North America mink are important predators that help keep prey populations in balance with their habitat. Sighting one is a thrill.

Marion Patterson is an instructor at Kirkwood Community College. Rich Patterson is the former executive director of Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids.