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Animal Size

European mink size: How big do they get?

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 average adult size of a European mink is  (1' 3

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:

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:

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:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a European mink

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European mink:

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: