Sep 13, 2012


by Lorraine Julien

Photo: Marten by US Fish & Wildlife Service.

If you see one of the above members of the Mustelidae (Weasel) family, it can sometimes be difficult to make a definite identification, especially if you are a distance away and only get a quick glimpse. There are two main differences I look for – the first is size, the second is colouration.

Mink are usually found near water - they are a fairly common sight here at our lakeside home. In fact, these versatile animals can be found anywhere from Florida to the Arctic except in very dry areas. With semi-webbed feet and non-retractable claws, they are great swimmers and tree climbers. Their lustrous fur coat is a solid dark brown colour. Mink are larger than weasels with a body length up to 71 cm long including the tail. With their amphibious lifestyle, they are able to feed on a wide variety of prey including fish, crayfish, frogs, snakes, mice, moles, water birds, chipmunks, etc. One U.S. study tallied 32 species of prey identified from Mink scat and uneaten remains.

Few wild Mink are trapped for their fur anymore since commercial ranches supply most of the demand for pelts (as many as 100 are needed to make a full length coat).

Weasels, with their long slinky bodies are smaller than Minks. Of the three Weasels native to Ontario, the Long-tailed Weasel is the largest (30 – 55 cm long including a 10 – 15 cm tail). During the summer months, most Weasels have brown fur with white or light coloured fur on the chest and underside.

Martens are a very solitary and shy member of the Weasel family and could be mistaken for Minks since they are a similar size and colour (except that the Marten tail is almost black compared to the rest of the body, which is dark brown). Their favourite habitat is mature evergreen forests. Unfortunately these forests are gradually declining in area. Perhaps it is just the pictures I’ve seen, but the Marten’s ears appear to be slightly more prominent and more pointed than those of the Mink. Martens love to feast on birds’ eggs, insects and, when in season, blueberries. In fact, they’ve been known to eat so many blueberries that their lips are noticeably blue.

Predators for any of these animals include coyotes, bobcats, large owls and humans.

If you have Internet access, Google Images is a great source of further information, but there are many informative websites or there is always your public library. In the January 19, 2012 on-line edition of the Frontenac News, there is an Outdoors article on the three types of weasels found in Ontario. It provides much more detail on weasels in general.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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