do adult minks have any natural predators? (1 Viewer)

[scuba0095]

does anyone know? I recently saw one kill a red tail hawk that tried to eat it!

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I believe that otters are a great enemy of mink. The mink plague has declined slightly here since the resurgence of the otter population.

 

[nigeldphoto]

does anyone know? I recently saw one kill a red tail hawk that tried to eat it!

Evening,
Have to agree with Alan , more otters = less mink.
Regards,
Nigel.B

 

[Accipiter91]

I believe that the mink could be in danger from any of the other mustelids that are larger than itself. In addition, one web site I found stated that wolves, bobcats (I would assume a lynx could take a mink too), and birds of prey such as the Great Horned Owl have been known to prey on minks. I am not shocked to hear about the mink turning the tables on the hawk. I was watching Wild America on TV one time and it showed a weasel being attacked by a fisher. The weasel didn't kill the fisher but it successfully attacked and drove off a much larger predator.

 

[thenorthernmonkey]

I believe that otters are a great enemy of mink. The mink plague has declined slightly here since the resurgence of the otter population.

yeah, i think i read somewhere that otter will drive mink out.

 

[neil brown]

certainly seems to be the case here in kintyre and possibly the rest of argyll, seem to remember reading a report at some point on the subject. about 10 years ago mink here were a common sight and have seen the devestation caused to seabird colonys, however now although mink still around they are nowhere near as numerous and otters are a lot more common sighting

 

[scuba0095]

are otters less harsh on birds? Minks are so brutal with birds very few birds can stop them from raiding their nests!


Loon is the only waterbird i know of that can successfully fight off a mink

thats so scary considering how many water birds there are!

 

[jpoyner]

I think mink tend to often kill more indiscriminately, whereas otter will just take what they need for food.

Otters still do take birds though. There have been problems them taking young at Slavonian Grebe breeding sites in the Highlands, and will readily take ducks if they get the chance, grabbing them from below and drowning them.

There was even a report I read of an otter grabbing and drowing a fishing Osprey, witnessed by some fishermen, though I am not sure if this was ever verified.

I am not so sure that it's so simple that Otter will drive out Mink, as I think you will find many places where both co-exist. Mink will probably just avoid the Otter as by size it is no doubt a threatening predator to them, but as for driving them away I am not so sure. Certanly here on the river Spey there are both.

J

 

[Barred Wobbler]

That's right. I wouldn't think any predator would turn its nose up at a meal. just because the books say that a particular species prefers a particular prey, it doesn't follow that it would pass by a potential meal of the "wrong" species. Otters and other predators don't read books. Food is food.

I wouldn't go so far as to say otters would actively drive out mink, but when it comes to competition, remember the old T-shirt slogan: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for I am the meanest SOB in the whole damned valley".

It translates into "Hey, mink. What are you still doing here?"

 

[Farnboro John]

It probably means you will find fewer Mink and the remaining ones will be more circumspect and feed mostly in more marginal habitat for them i.e. away from rivers.

Otters do take a few birds but their primary prey is fish - not the case for Mink.

Hey, this summer we've seen pix of Orcas taking Eiders courtesy the Shetland mob - I don't suppose anyone feels the Orcas are out of order for snaffling a few feathery hors d'oeuvres?

John

 

[Original PaulE]

I believe that otters are a great enemy of mink. The mink plague has declined slightly here since the resurgence of the otter population.

i think that might be a bit of an assumption i think there has been a lot of trapping of mink which would probably be an explanation for any decline

 

[turkish van]

i think that might be a bit of an assumption i think there has been a lot of trapping of mink which would probably be an explanation for any decline

Actually I did a bit of research on this subject last year, and there is a fair bit of evidence around to suggest a direct relationship between declining Mink and increasing Otters. Here's a little paragraph I wrote:

There is now a growing body of evidence which seems to provide a direct link between the decline of mink and recovery of otter. Between the NOS of 1977-79 and 2000-02, mink declined in 60% of surveyed areas, and both increased and remained stable in 19%, with missing data from one area. The same surveys showed that otters replaced mink on forty occasions, whereas the opposite was true on only seven. A significant correlation was also found between the sites that either gained or lost mink, and the density of otters in those sites. (Bonesi et al, 2006.) A separate study by MacDonald et al (2007) found a similar relationship, with a significant decrease in mink signs occurring at the same time as an even larger increase in otter signs. They postulate that the relationship is not a case of competition for food, as the two species’ diets don’t really overlap. Instead they suggest that “direct aggression” may be a plausible theory, as interspecific fighting and killing is known to be widespread, “particularly among mammalian carnivores”. Observations have been made of otters being aggressive towards mink, and mink fur has even been found in otter spraints. (Bonesi and Macdonald, 2004.)

And a recent paper attached for those interested.

 

[Original PaulE]

Actually I did a bit of research on this subject last year, and there is a fair bit of evidence around to suggest a direct relationship between declining Mink and increasing Otters. Here's a little paragraph I wrote:

There is now a growing body of evidence which seems to provide a direct link between the decline of mink and recovery of otter. Between the NOS of 1977-79 and 2000-02, mink declined in 60% of surveyed areas, and both increased and remained stable in 19%, with missing data from one area. The same surveys showed that otters replaced mink on forty occasions, whereas the opposite was true on only seven. A significant correlation was also found between the sites that either gained or lost mink, and the density of otters in those sites. (Bonesi et al, 2006.) A separate study by MacDonald et al (2007) found a similar relationship, with a significant decrease in mink signs occurring at the same time as an even larger increase in otter signs. They postulate that the relationship is not a case of competition for food, as the two species’ diets don’t really overlap. Instead they suggest that “direct aggression” may be a plausible theory, as interspecific fighting and killing is known to be widespread, “particularly among mammalian carnivores”. Observations have been made of otters being aggressive towards mink, and mink fur has even been found in otter spraints. (Bonesi and Macdonald, 2004.)

And a recent paper attached for those interested.

hi turkish van
thanks for that its very interesting
but it could also be that the widespread trapping and killing of mink by humans is having the desired effect and that the recovering otter population,actively encouraged by conservationists is filling in behind them
cheers

 

[turkish van]

hi turkish van
thanks for that its very interesting
but it could also be that the widespread trapping and killing of mink by humans is having the desired effect and that the recovering otter population,actively encouraged by conservationists is filling in behind them
cheers

Could be, I don't know much about the trapping situation. Either way it's good news!

 

[scuba0095]

how on earth can trapping kill off one problem species but leave all the other native predators alone? Something you guys might want to consider...

 

[Mike Richardson]

how on earth can trapping kill off one problem species but leave all the other native predators alone? Something you guys might want to consider...

Mink are not native to the UK. Over the years many American Mink have escaped from fur farms (often released by animal rights activists) and they now have spread over much of the UK.
Many of our native species have declined directly as a result of the Mink, most significantly the Water Vole.
As far as I know, cage traps are used for control so any animal other than the Mink can be released unharmed.

There is another species of Mink that is native to Europe, although it is not native to Britain. I think it may be under threat from introduced American Mink (I think?!?).

 

[Accipiter91]

Mink are not native to the UK

Sorry to get off topic but I actually did not know that....I thought minks were native to the British Isles...I learned something new today... :t:

also the bit about animal rights activists is interesting...i guess they didn't know what they were doing beforehand...

 

[Farnboro John]

how on earth can trapping kill off one problem species but leave all the other native predators alone? Something you guys might want to consider...

Actually this can be done quite easily.

Use traps that exclude other species (cage traps can be made too small for Otter and with mesh large enough for Weasels and Stoats to slip out of. You will (or may) still catch both Mink and Polecats.

When checking the traps you then euthanase the Mink but release the Polecats.

John

 

[Edward]

I've heard that Arctic Foxes (native) prey on American Mink (introduced) in Iceland.

E

 

[scuba0095]

don't think an artic fox could handle an adult american mink