How big does a European mink get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown European mink (Mustela lutreola) reaches an average size of 36.1 cm (1′ 3″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 10 years, they grow from 7 grams (0.02 lbs) to 567 grams (1.25 lbs). A European mink has 4 babies at once. The European mink (genus: Mustela) is a member of the family Mustelidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The European mink (Mustela lutreola), also known as the Russian mink and Eurasian mink, is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to Europe.It is similar in colour to the American mink, but is slightly smaller and has a less specialized skull. Despite having a similar name, build and behaviour, the European mink is not closely related to the American mink, being much closer to the European polecat and Siberian weasel (kolonok). The European mink occurs primarily by forest streams unlikely to freeze in winter. It primarily feeds on voles, frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects.The European mink is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered due to an ongoing reduction in numbers, having been calculated as declining more than 50% over the past three generations and expected to decline at a rate exceeding 80% over the next three generations. European mink numbers began to shrink during the 19th century, with the species rapidly becoming extinct in some parts of Central Europe. During the 20th century, mink numbers declined all throughout their range, the reasons for which having been hypothesised to be due to a combination of factors, including climate change, competition with (as well as diseases spread by) the introduced American mink, habitat destruction, declines in crayfish numbers and hybridisation with the European polecat. In Central Europe and Finland, the decline preceded the introduction of the American mink, having likely been due to the destruction of river ecosystems, while in Estonia, the decline seems to coincide with the spread of the American mink.
Animals of the same family as a European mink
We found other animals of the Mustelidae family:
- Steppe polecat with a size of 43.5 cm (1′ 6″)
- Eastern spotted skunk with a size of 30 cm (1′ 0″)
- Patagonian weasel with a size of 32.4 cm (1′ 1″)
- Steppe polecat with a size of 43.2 cm (1′ 6″)
- Greater grison with a size of 25.7 cm (0′ 11″)
- American badger with a size of 56 cm (1′ 11″)
- Yellow-bellied weasel with a size of 26 cm (0′ 11″)
- North American river otter with a size of 68.5 cm (2′ 3″)
- Siberian weasel with a size of 30.6 cm (1′ 1″)
- Wolverine with a size of 77.3 cm (2′ 7″)
Animals with the same size as a European mink
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as European mink:
- Aye-aye with a size of 40 cm (1′ 4″)
- Guianan squirrel monkey with a size of 32.2 cm (1′ 1″)
- Water opossum with a size of 29.7 cm (1′ 0″)
- Red acouchi with a size of 36.3 cm (1′ 3″)
- Golden-backed uakari with a size of 40 cm (1′ 4″)
- Ruddy mongoose with a size of 40.7 cm (1′ 5″)
- Rothschild’s woolly rat with a size of 38.1 cm (1′ 3″)
- Colombian white-faced capuchin with a size of 37.8 cm (1′ 3″)
- Red-bellied lemur with a size of 40.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- Tufted capuchin with a size of 42.8 cm (1′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a European mink
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (4) as a European mink:
- African groove-toothed rat
- Creek groove-toothed swamp rat
- Yellow-bellied marmot
- Andean vesper mouse
- Steppe lemming
- Northern pika
- Alexander’s kusimanse
- Dune hairy-footed gerbil
- Hazel dormouse
- El Carrizo deer mouse
Animals with the same life expectancy as a European mink
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European mink:
- Lesser short-nosed fruit bat with an average maximal age of 8 years
- Pacarana with an average maximal age of 9.33 years
- Dice’s cottontail with an average maximal age of 9 years
- Small Indian civet with an average maximal age of 10.5 years
- Little pocket mouse with an average maximal age of 8.25 years
- Grey-bellied squirrel with an average maximal age of 9.5 years
- Common dwarf mongoose with an average maximal age of 10.92 years
- Common noctule with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Blue duiker with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Eastern cottontail with an average maximal age of 9 years
Animals with the same weight as a European mink
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Mustela lutreola:
- Numbat bringing 517 grams to the scale
- Siberian weasel bringing 531 grams to the scale
- Greater mole-rat bringing 470 grams to the scale
- New Guinean quoll bringing 611 grams to the scale
- Mauritian flying fox bringing 473 grams to the scale
- Amazon bamboo rat bringing 650 grams to the scale
- Lord Derby’s scaly-tailed squirrel bringing 665 grams to the scale
- Giant tree-rat bringing 584 grams to the scale
- Painted ringtail possum bringing 639 grams to the scale
- Epixerus bringing 559 grams to the scale