It is hard to guess what a European mink weights. But we have the answer:
An adult European mink (Mustela lutreola) on average weights 567 grams (1.25 lbs).
The European mink is from the family Mustelidae (genus: Mustela). It is usually born with about 7 grams (0.02 lbs). They can live for up to 10 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 36.1 cm (1′ 3″). Usually, European minks have 4 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
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:
- Nilgiri marten bringing 2.04 kilos (4.5 lbs) to the scale
- Marine otter bringing 11.2 kilos (24.69 lbs) to the scale
- North American river otter bringing 8.09 kilos (17.84 lbs) to the scale
- Black-footed ferret with a weight of 907 grams
- Neotropical otter bringing 6.55 kilos (14.44 lbs) to the scale
- Wolverine bringing 12.8 kilos (28.22 lbs) to the scale
- Southern river otter bringing 7.5 kilos (16.53 lbs) to the scale
- Spotted-necked otter bringing 4.19 kilos (9.24 lbs) to the scale
- Palawan stink badger bringing 2.5 kilos (5.51 lbs) to the scale
- Back-striped weasel bringing 1.5 kilos (3.31 lbs) to the scale
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:
- Ashy-headed flying fox bringing 524 grams to the scale
- Black flying fox bringing 609 grams to the scale
- Ethiopian dwarf mongoose bringing 485 grams to the scale
- Swynnerton’s bush squirrel bringing 675 grams to the scale
- Volcano rabbit bringing 465 grams to the scale
- Eastern lowland olingo bringing 620 grams to the scale
- Siberian weasel bringing 531 grams to the scale
- Painted ringtail possum bringing 639 grams to the scale
- Giant Atlantic tree-rat bringing 502 grams to the scale
- Black lion tamarin bringing 656 grams to the scale
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:
- Black giant squirrel with a size of 31.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- Golden-backed uakari with a size of 40 cm (1′ 4″)
- White-tailed prairie dog with a size of 30.7 cm (1′ 1″)
- Raffray’s bandicoot with a size of 34.6 cm (1′ 2″)
- Central African oyan with a size of 37.9 cm (1′ 3″)
- Lutrine opossum with a size of 32.4 cm (1′ 1″)
- Monk saki with a size of 41.1 cm (1′ 5″)
- Rio Tapajós saki with a size of 39.9 cm (1′ 4″)
- Western white-eared giant rat with a size of 31 cm (1′ 1″)
- White-faced spiny tree-rat with a size of 29.7 cm (1′ 0″)
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:
- Marsh rice rat
- Southern African hedgehog
- Nectomys squamipes
- Dhole
- Libyan jird
- Pygmy gerbil
- Mountain cottontail
- Mexican spiny pocket mouse
- Indian desert jird
- Short-tailed bandicoot rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a European mink
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European mink:
- Sarcophilus laniarius with an average maximal age of 8.17 years
- Banded palm civet with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Yuma myotis with an average maximal age of 8.75 years
- Edible dormouse with an average maximal age of 9 years
- Complex-toothed flying squirrel with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Red-flanked duiker with an average maximal age of 9.5 years
- Common ringtail possum with an average maximal age of 8 years
- Gray brocket with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Desmarest’s hutia with an average maximal age of 11.33 years
- Red acouchi with an average maximal age of 10 years