American mink
Neogale vison (Schreber, 1777)
The American mink (Neogale vison) is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 1.15 kg, with reported values from 899.8 g to 1.71 kg.
Quick facts about the American mink
Gestation lasts 55 days, it has 1 litter per year with a litter size of 4.76, and it reaches sexual maturity at 334.4 days. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category, and its lifespan is 10.7 years, with values up to 11.4 years.
- Weight
- 899.8 g – 1.71 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 10.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 11.4 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 36.2 days – 70 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.76src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 9.78 months – 12.2 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the American mink
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the American mink live?
Not recorded
What is the American mink?
The American mink (Neogale vison) is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America, though human introduction has expanded its range to many parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. Because of range expansion, the American mink is classed as a least-concern species by the IUCN. The American mink was formerly thought to be the only extant member of the genus Neovison following the extinction of the sea mink (N. macrodon), but recent studies, followed by taxonomic authorities, have reclassified it and the sea mink within the genus Neogale, which also contains a few New World weasel species. The American mink is a carnivore that feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs, and birds. In its introduced range in Europe it has been classified as an invasive species linked to declines in European mink, Pyrenean desman, and water vole populations. It is the animal most frequently farmed for its fur, exceeding the silver fox, sable, marten, and skunk in economic importance.
From the Wikipedia article “American mink” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_mink&oldid=1382377058), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the American mink endangered?
The American mink is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the American mink classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyMustelidae
- genusNeogale
- SpeciesNeogale vison (Schreber, 1777)
Synonyms Mustela vison, Neovison vison, Putorius vison
Other names and names in other languages (57)
- SakihpaAlabama
- منك أمريكيArabic
- Visón americanuAsturian
- Норка амерыканскаяBelarusian
- Американска норкаBulgarian
- Vizon AmerikaBreton
- visó americàCatalan
- ᏒᎩCherokee
- mə́ščuʔclm
- norek americkýCzech
- Minc AmericanaiddWelsh
- MinkDanish
- Amerikansk minkDanish
- Nordamerikansk minkDanish
- Amerikanischer NerzGerman
- Αμερικάνικο ΜινκGreek
- Amerika nutreoloEsperanto
- Visón AmericanoSpanish
- imarmiutaqCentral Yupik
- Ameerika naaritsEstonian
- Amerikar bisoiBasque
- Amerikkalainen minkkiFinnish
- minkkiFinnish
- Vison d'AmériqueFrench
- Amerikoonsk nertsNorthern Frisian
- חורפן אמריקאיHebrew
- Američka vidricaCroatian
- amerikai nyércHungarian
- MinkurIcelandic
- AmeríkuminkurIcelandic
- Visone americanoItalian
- ミンクJapanese
- アメリカミンクJapanese
- Су күзеніKazakh
- 밍크Korean
- 아메리카밍크Korean
- Kanadinė audinėLithuanian
- bəščəblut
- Amerikas ūdeleLatvian
- Американ шашкеMari
- Aió:haMohawk
- Amerikaanse nertsDutch
- zhaangweshiOjibwa
- Norka amerykańskaPolish
- Wizon amerykańskiPolish
- Visão-americanoPortuguese
- Visom-americanoPortuguese
- Nurcă americanăRomanian
- Американская норкаRussian
- Jío’da:ga’Seneca
- Norok americkýSlovak
- Amerika vizonuTurkish
- Amerika SansarıTurkish
- Візон річковийUkrainian
- Норка АмериканськаUkrainian
- Chồn nâu châu MỹVietnamese
- 美洲水鼬Chinese
Relatives of the American mink
Other species in the same genus Neogale.
Amazon weasel
Neogale africana
Colombian weasel
Neogale felipei
Long-tailed weasel
Neogale frenata
Big mink
Neogale macrodon
CompareAmerican mink vs Amazon weaselAmerican mink vs Colombian weaselAmerican mink vs Long-tailed weaselAmerican mink vs Big mink
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the American mink?
The American mink is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, subfamily Mustelinae, within the order Carnivora.
How heavy is the American mink?
The American mink has an adult body mass of 1.15 kg, with reported values from 899.8 g to 1.71 kg.
What does the American mink eat?
The American mink is a carnivore.
Is the American mink endangered?
No. The American mink is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the American mink live?
The American mink has a lifespan of 10.7 years, with values up to 11.4 years reported.
How many young does the American mink have?
The American mink has a litter size of 4.76, with 1 litter per year after a gestation period of 55 days.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). American mink (Neogale vison). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-mink
“American mink (Neogale vison).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-mink.
@misc{american_mink_2026,
title = {American mink (Neogale vison)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/american-mink},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}