Animal identifier ยท Other mammals
Neogale vison
Streams, marshes, and coasts across most of the continent. Small five-toed tracks, about 1.25 to 1.75 inches.
What does a american mink look like?
Long dark brown body, white chin patch, no pale bib like a marten.
What do american mink tracks look like?
Follows the water. A small paired trail that hops along a creek edge and slips into the water is mink, not marten.
- Small five-toed tracks, about 1.25 to 1.75 inches
- Almost always along a shoreline
- Paired loping prints, sometimes with a slide
- Partly webbed, though the web is hard to see
- Dark chocolate animal if seen
What does american mink poop look like?
Dark, twisted, often on a rock at the waterline, with fish scales or crayfish parts. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Streams, marshes, and coasts across most of the continent. Typical places: wetland. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not handle droppings
- If the animal is injured or inside a building, call a local wildlife officer
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- American marten identification
- North American river otter identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
What do mink tracks look like?
Small paired prints along a shoreline, five toes, sometimes a short slide into the water.
How to tell a american mink from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- American marten. A reduced fisher trail: same 2-2 lope, smaller prints, more time on logs and in dense conifer. House-cat sized, brown, with a pale bib.
- North American river otter. The slide is the field mark. Long brown body, thick tail that is broad at the base, small ears.
American mink field marks
- Small five-toed tracks, about 1.25 to 1.75 inches
- Almost always along a shoreline
- Paired loping prints, sometimes with a slide
- Partly webbed, though the web is hard to see
Where the sign shows up
Streams, marshes, and coasts across most of the continent. Typical places: wetland. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
Follows the water. A small paired trail that hops along a creek edge and slips into the water is mink, not marten. Dark, twisted, often on a rock at the waterline, with fish scales or crayfish parts.
Common questions
What do mink tracks look like?
Small paired prints along a shoreline, five toes, sometimes a short slide into the water.