Monday, August 24, 2015

New Jersey Furbearers

American mink
Despite the title of an online article, "The American Mink, one of N.J.’s most common semi-aquatic carnivore," I myself (and I suspect many readers) have never seen a mink in my Jersey travels. The mink (Mustela vison) is native to the state, although it is thought that escapees from mink farms have interbred with wild mink.

The mink is not threatened in the state and has a stable population. Not threatened, unless you consider that The New Jersey Hunting and Trapping Digest lists raccoon, skunk, opossum, weasel, mink, muskrat, red and gray fox, coyote, beaver, otter and nutria as species that have open seasons for trapping in the State of New Jersey. (In New Jersey, a Trapper Education course must be passed and a trapping license obtained to trap in the state - see http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trapping_info.htm)

Several of these species were not here historically or disappeared and have only returned through re-introductions.

Native to NJ are the river otter (Lontra canadensis), long-tailed (Mustela frenata) and short-tailed ermine (Mustela ermine). Also native are the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), raccoon (Procyon lotor) or gray fox (Urocyon cinereorgenteus).

Coyotes, which are now being reported with more frequency in the state, were never present in New Jersey until the past fifty or so years. Their appearance is due to many factors including habitat loss in their previous area of habitation. The current theory is that overall movement (based on DNA sampling) in the last century by the western coyote to the midwest, Great Lake states and through Lower Canada led to some western coyotes mating with gray wolves. Their offspring moved further eastward through Lower Canada and down through the New England states and into the Mid-Atlantic States.

NJ had gray wolves in the state until about the mid-1850s. Today, there are no wolves in New Jersey outside of zoos and preserves. But the eastern coyote appears to be here to stay.

Some of our other furbearing creatures past and present include:
  • Marten (Martes americana) historically present but extirpated since the mid-1800s
  • The fisher (Martes pennanti) also extirpated but again present in Sussex and Warren counties although few in number. Probably due to re-introduction by New York and Pennsylvania in the last decade
  • Beaver (Castor canadensis) had almost disappeared from here by the early 1800s. It is believed that some escapees from the Rutherford-Stuyvesant game preserve in Allamuchy, Warren County established a breeding population. Restocking enabled the beaver to re-establish itself by the mid-20th century. 
  • Most common to us is the raccoon which is, was and has always been a native of New Jersey and was a species that the British explorers to this new land reported, since they did not exist in Britain.
  • Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was thought to be numerous in the central and southern part of the state in the late 1860s, but in the last hundred years the range of both opossum and raccoons has extended much further north including into Canada where they historically never existed.
opossum


21 comments:

bottle seller said...

Mink i see fromtime to time, one of the princeton waterways.

Anonymous said...

Saw a mink escaping the recent floodwaters from the Stony Brook in Hopewell Township. First one that I have ever seen.

Unknown said...

I saw a mink on 280 eastbound just past the southern exit ramp off 80. It ran into the wetlands area between 280 and the parallel Ridgedale Av extension.

Miss Money Penny said...

Just saw a mink 2 days ago off Opie Road in Neshanic by the Raritan River

Unknown said...

Saw a mink today on Township Line Road in Belle Mead.

Anonymous said...

Just saw a mink this morning in my backyard...beautiful to see! I’m located in Chesterfield along Crosswicks Creek.

Scmhulie said...

Saw one south of Glen Gardner, NJ on 9/11/2019 in forest near Rocky Run Creek and Rt. 31.

Unknown said...

Had a mink chase a rabbit through my legs on a farm in Milford today.The mink stopped as soon as he spotted me and whirled around and went back into the hogh grass.15 yrds out.

Rich D said...

Saw a Mink today during a walk along the canal path/Raritan River in Somerset

Two Fish Farm said...

Saw a mink swim across my pond and then scamper into the woods yesterday! Simply magnificent.

Outenlights said...

Had a Mink show on my trail cam this morning that was running along my pond,March 3, 2020 Mays Landing, Atlantic County, NJ

Ken Ronkowitz said...

When you have photos, please share with us at endangerednj at gmail.com

Unknown said...

We saw a mink (black) in Van Best wildlife Refuge along Assunpink Creek yesterday pm. It was beautiful.

Franquixote said...

A mink just bit me, neighbors sa they caught a ferret and I went to check if it had a tattoo inside its ear.. Almost all ferrets do.
Chomped me good and animal control is going to observe it 10 days.
Hip-hip-hurrabies!

ravencassidy said...

I think I moved what I thought was a ferret out of the road( dead) but now that I think about I think it was a black colored mink ( beautiful coat) white under chin... Very sad it was killed.. This was in Monmouth County NJ, Middletown NJ..
I never knew we had wildlife like that here...

Unknown said...

I saw two minks running in our swampy woods in the backyard. They were so fast and moved gracefully. I tried to get a picture, but they were too quick!

Unknown said...

Spotted what looked like a young one in Saddle River Park near the Dunkerhook section in Fair Lawn / Paramus area. I was shocked to see it. Got some video of it grooming and rolling in the leaves.

Ken at Endangered NJ said...

A young one of what species? Send the video.

Anonymous said...

Just saw a mink in my yard in little falls on the passaic river

Anonymous said...

Just saw a black mink crossing the road near intersection of 614 and 579 ( Alexandria twp) at 11:30 PM

Anonymous said...

I spotted a mink in Hopewell Township NJ early autumn 2023.