ORLANDO, Fla. – Ever seen a mink? Not a fur coat, but the actual animal. If so, Florida wildlife officials want to hear from you.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists are seeking the public's help in locating the small, fast semi-aquatic creatures, which are rarely seen but do exist in the Sunshine State.
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Because their size and behavior keeps them out of sight, understanding where mink are in Florida, and how many mink live in the state, is extremely challenging for biologists.
"If members of the public report their sightings of these elusive animals, it would be invaluable to our research," said Jesse Boulerice, FWC biologist in Lake City. "The more people we have looking for mink, the more information we can gather."
Fishermen and boaters are especially being asked to be watchful for mink and report any sightings, which will be used to identify areas where mink are more common in Florida and help biologists pinpoint locations to focus mink research.
Mink are typically found near, in and around sources of water, although they can also be found on dry land.
"They have a long sleek body, thick tail, small ears and small eyes," Boulerice said. "Mink are between 1 and 2.5 feet long and weigh up to 4 pounds. These animals are dark-chocolate brown to black in color and sometimes have a patch of white along the chin and throat."
Mink are often confused with otters, which are much larger in size (10-30 pounds). Weasels are also similar to mink, but are smaller and have brown fur along their backs and yellow along the entire belly.
Historically, mink were hunted and used to make mink-fur apparel.
The Everglades mink is listed in Florida as a threatened species.
The FWC has created an online database for anyone to report sightings of mink in Florida.