What Do Minks Eat?
Minks eat crayfish, frogs, ducks, mice, rabbits, fish, shrews and other small mammals. Their diet varies depending on the time of year and will change to fit the needs of the season.
During the summer, minks eat mostly crayfish and frogs, but will occasionally eat small mammals like mice and rabbits. They will eat ducks and fish as an additional source, but prefer to eat other types of food. During the cold winter months when there are no crayfish to be found, they focus their efforts on catching and eating shrews and rabbits.
Minks belong to a group of animals that are semi-aquatic. They are carnivorous and usually only eat meat, with very little of their diet coming from herbivorous sources unless there are extreme conditions. While they are not nocturnal animals, they are mostly active toward the beginning and the end of the nighttime. They are solitary animals that prefer to be left out of colonies and generally only live in the same area as one or two other minks.
The biggest threat to the mink populations is humans. While they do have to watch out for coyotes and bobcats, humans are more likely than other animals to kill them. Humans kill mink because of their fur; it is a valuable commodity and many people appreciate it for the warm coats that can be made from it.
