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Litter Size

How many babies does a European mink have at once? (litter size)

How many baby European minks are in a litter?

A European mink (Mustela lutreola) usually gives birth to around 4 babies.

Each of those little ones spend around 43 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 7 grams (0.02 lbs) and measure 2.1 cm (0′ 1″). They are a member of the Mustelidae family (genus: Mustela). An adult European mink grows up to a size of 36.1 cm (1′ 3″).

To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.

The average litter size of a European mink is 4

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.

Other animals of the family Mustelidae

European mink is a member of the Mustelidae, as are these animals:

Animals that share a litter size with European mink

Those animals also give birth to 4 babies at once:

Animals that get as old as a European mink

Other animals that usually reach the age of 10 years:

Animals with the same weight as a European mink

What other animals weight around 567 grams (1.25 lbs)?

Animals with the same size as a European mink

Also reaching around 36.1 cm (1′ 3″) in size do these animals: