Mink Hunts Muskrats in Ontario Swamp
Bob and I spent one afternoon exploring a marsh near Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. We barely had gotten underway when we spotted a member of the Weasel Family, a Mink, coming towards us, totally unconcerned about our presence in its habitat.
It carried on down the trail past Bob and I, obviously on a mission.
As you see in our video, the Mink was certainly not concerned about humans in its territory.
The mink continued on its way, so Bob and I followed it and were surprised when we came to a small pond. It was tucked out of sight a short distance from the walking trail, and to the casual observer, the pond remained unseen.
Once at the pond, the mink made a bee-line for a tunnel into the pond’s bank, into which it quickly disappeared. Bob and I mistakenly thought that the tunnel was the mink’s home, but seconds later, the mink reappeared and continued along the edge of the water scanning left and right as it went on its way.
It was right about then that a muskrat popped to the surface of the water in the middle of the pond. A clearer picture was coming into view. We realized that the tunnel at the side of the pond was the muskrat’s den, and the mink had been hoping to find the muskrat at home.
Muskrat families build nests to protect themselves and their young from cold and predators. In a pond such as this, they burrow into the bank but also maintain an underwater entrance. The opening to the muskrat den is to the left of the mink in this photo.
The mink has a small head with long whiskers, a long body and neck, and short legs. Their long, slender bodies enable them to follow their prey into burrows, which is what we had just witnessed.
A mink’s tail is fully furred and slightly bushy, and their fur is soft and thick.
Bob and I stood by silently while the muskrat plied the waters of the still pond. Meanwhile, the mink circled to the far edge of the water whereupon we heard a large splash. It turned out that there were two muskrats living in that small body of water, and they both landed up being spooked by the mink.
As you see in our video, the mink wasted no time moving in and trying to capture one of the two muskrats.
The mink was always on the move, which explains why they, as a species, consume about 40 percent of their body weight in food every day.
Having failed to nab a muskrat for its next meal, the mink moved off through the tall, dry stalks of last year’s bulrushes in search of easier prey.
So Bob and I turned our attention to the two muskrats maneuvering their way around the stalks of bulrushes sticking up out of the water. Muskrats are medium-sized, semi-aquatic rodents that get their names from either the Algonquin or Abenaki nation (muscascus or moskwas).
Muskrats are much smaller than beavers but bear a remarkable resemblance to them. They are covered with short, thick fur that has two layers, helping to insulate them against cold water.
Muskrats have long tails covered with scales rather than hair and, to aid them in swimming, the tails are slightly flattened vertically, a trait that is unique to muskrats. They, like beavers, will slap their tails on the surface of the water as a warning signal to others.
An adult muskrat can grow to a length of 28 inches, with the tail accounting for almost half of that length.
Bob and I were soaking up the solitude of the peaceful location as red-winged blackbirds flitted amongst the shrubs and crows kept watch from a nearby tall tree.
Even two painted turtles blissfully sat soaking up the sun’s rays, rejoicing in the warmth on their backs. They had just spent a long winter of hibernation in the muddy bottom of the pond. Painted Turtles rely on warmth from their surroundings, and therefore are active only during the day when they bask for hours on logs or rocks.
For periods at a time, one or both of the muskrats emerged from the calm waters to bask in the sunshine on the opposite shore. They put a lot of effort into grooming each other, all the while chattering in soft chirps and whines.
Suddenly, the silence was broken when I heard behind me the crashing and rustling of myriad stalks of brittle bulrushes. I couldn’t imagine what was making the noise. As I turned to look, there I saw a rabbit running for its life, hotly pursued by…you guessed it…the mink. I’m not sure whether or not our presence threw off the chase, but the rabbit hunkered down in some dry stalks, and the mink changed focus, once again hastening over to the muskrat’s den for another look.
The next thing you know, the mink was making tracks for the far side of the pond where the two muskrats were hanging out. High drama and danger were afoot as the mink set its sights on one of the muskrats for dinner. A huge splash of water ensued leading us to believe that the muskrats had outwitted the mink once again. They were on high alert and managed to slip beneath the silvery surface of the water for at least the second time that day.
As the surroundings settled into quietude once again, one of the muskrats laid low in the water, out of harm’s way.
With the pandemonium of the chase now a distant memory, this muskrat ventured into deeper water.
Able to now relax, the muskrat lazily propelled itself with outstretched legs, displaying to us the sharp claws on one hind foot. Their sharp claws enable them to handily dig their burrows into soft muddy banks, while the partially webbed hind feet make swimming easier .
Using its sharp claws to climb onto a log, this painted turtle once again escaped the murky depths of the riled up water. Its webbed feet are also perfectly suited for swimming, and the females use their claws to dig nests for their eggs in the springtime.
With the afternoon waning, Bob and I quietly departed the swampland where we had discovered such a wealth of biodiversity and witnessed firsthand intrigue the likes of which most people never see. It was awesome!
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Stumbled upon your blog when googling “weasels port union waterfront Lake Ontario” and discovered they are in fact, minks! I had no idea! I haven’t seen them recently, but on a dog walk with Mom I was trying to explain what “those creatures” were, and now I know they are minks. Enjoyed some of your other posts, too. Nice blog!
Glad you enjoyed reading some of our stories. Hopefully, you’ll revisit our website and view some other posts. Today, we spent hours at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto where we saw another mink. It was delightful watching it scamper among the underbrush.
I suspect the animal in your photos is a martin, not a mink. It looks big for a mink and seems to be moving more slowly than they do. And there’s another more definitive clue: in the video it looks like it has a black tail and a brown body. This is a characteristic of a martin, not a mink. I’m not an expert, though!
Thanks for posting this story and the images. I stumbled across it when looking for images of mink as I just watched one clear out the last few goldfish from our man-made pond.
Hi Andrew. I really appreciate you taking the time to check out our blog about the Mink and for sending us your comments. So sorry for the loss of your goldfish. I am quite certain that the animal in our story is a Mink. I am not an authority on mammals of Ontario, but if you check out our blog post about Pine Martens in Algonquin Provincial Park, I think you will be able to see the differences between the two species. Here is a link: https://frametoframe.ca/2015/04/pine-martens-in-algonquin-provincial-park/#more-27754
I am located in the Kawarthas . Today I spotted a white elongated Body with a black tip on its tail very slender. could that belong in the Mink Family
Good morning, Suzanne. Thank you for taking a look at our blog. It is always exciting to hear back from our readers. The animal you saw would be a Weasel, likely a Long-tailed Weasel since they are more common in southern Ontario. Weasels are in the Mustelid family as well as Mink, so you are right! What a wonderful sighting! We have never seen a Weasel, and it is especially nice that you saw one in the winter when its coat had changed to white for the purposes of camouflage. I hope to hear from you again! Happy New Year!
What a wonderful tale of the mink and the other animals. I only get to see dead minks on the road – usually by the 410 south exit at Derry. The storm water pond beside the highway must have families of minks living there. Will go out to some other stormwater ponds further down the road to do some mink-spotting.
I’m glad you enjoyed the story about the mink and muskrats. We were thrilled to see such action. Good luck on your own hunt for some of these sleek animals.
Sorry, nice story and weasels do hunt as described (although not for muskrats unless very young left in nest) but your friend here is a mink in these shots
I appreciate you letting us know.
If it were a long-tailed weasel, it would have a lighter-colored underside. Also, its tail would be longer. It looks to me, that it is a mink. Minks are famous for hunting muskrats too,
thank you so much for pointing this out. We knew the animal was a member of the weasel family, judging by its body size, shape and behavior. It is difficult to distinguish a mink from a weasel, but your keen observation was helpful.
Wow! That was awesome! To be able to watch what was going on, and to capture it on video. Thank you so much. The weasel looks smaller than the muskrat, and I am amazed that it would hunt the larger animal. Once again, thank you.
I am so glad that you enjoyed our blog. Bob and I were fascinated watching the drama unfold. A weasel’s small size belies its strength and tenacity, and also facilitates very agile and quick movement when in pursuit of larger prey.
Hi Bonnie. I want to reply to your comment once again to dispel any confusion. It has been pointed out to us that the animal hunting the muskrats was in fact a mink. Minks are also members of the weasel family, and it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. Both animals behave in the same manner, although minks are larger than weasels.
Also, minks have a very distinctive coat. That is what gave it away to me, and to the ones that raise them for their distinctive coats too.