Box 3: Ecology of the European mink
Distribution and conservation status: The European mink is the
most endangered mammal in Europe and was classified as Critically
Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List in 2016 (Maran et al. 2016).
Over the last 150 years, the species has declined by more than 90% and
has been extirpated or severely depleted across most of its former
range. The current range of the endemic wild population consists of a
few isolated fragments in northern Spain and western France, the Danube
delta in Romania, Ukraine and Russia (Maran et al. 2016).
Ecology: European mink are small semi-aquatic mustelid
carnivores (males: 0.5-1.5 kg, females: 0.3-0.7 kg). They inhabit
densely vegetated banks of rivers, streams, and lakes with stagnant or
slow-flowing water across a variety of landscapes (forests,
agricultural, hedgerows, marshes, polders, etc.), using underground
burrows or dense vegetation for resting and reproduction. Diets
primarily consist of amphibians, crustaceans (crayfish), fish, small
mammals (rats and voles), birds and, to a lesser extent, insects and
eggs (Palazón et al. 2004; Libois 2001). Predators include the
red fox, dogs, and raptors (Maran et al. 2017; Põdra 2021).
Females reach sexual maturity at 11 months and give birth to a litter of
2-7 young per year. Longevity in the wild has been reported to be up to
five years (Mañas et al. 2016).
Main causes of decline and management actions: The main
hypothesised threats contributing to the current decline are (1) habitat
loss and fragmentation of wetlands, (2) road mortality, (3) harvesting
and (4) the impact of the invasive American mink through interference
competition. The species is protected by law in Europe. In an effort to
recover European mink populations, captive breeding and reintroduction
programs have been implemented in Spain (Gomez 2018; Maran et al. 2017; Põdra 2021), Estonia (Maran et al. 2017), and France (DREALet al. 2021).
Data availability: Across the three extant populations,
available data include presence data, home range size estimates, diet
information in the presence and absence of invasive competitors, habitat
requirements, trait data, behavioural responses to humans, and
post-release survival estimates for captive bred individuals.