Mink and Muskrats in NJ

Photos by Richard Angelillo

This month I was contacted by Richard Angelillo who sent the two photos above that he took in Somerset, NJ. He thought at first that it was a muskrat but was told it was a mink. He did not know that we have minks in New Jersey.

He went online and found our article on New Jersey Furbearers.

Besides muskrats, it is easy to confuse a fairly common mink for a less likely fisher. That's especially true when the animals are moving quickly and especially when they are wet.

Can you tell the difference between a mink and a muskrat?

Mink

The muskrat is not the principal prey of the mink but minks are the principal predator of the muskrat. There are a good number of videos online of the two animals battling, with the mink most often coming out the victor.

In NJ and in general, more muskrats are trapped than minks. But as you can see by observation, their fur s different and a mink pelt is more valuable.

Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets.

Minks and muskrats also have their predators. Great horned owls, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and humans are predators of mink.

Mink are sometimes trapped to protect the fish population in lakes and rivers.

Muskrat

Muskrats are fairly common throughout NJ and are sometimes called our "swamp bunnies." They normally live in groups consisting of a male and female pair and their young. During the spring, they often fight with other muskrats over territory and potential mates.

In streams, ponds, or lakes, muskrats burrow into the bank with an underwater entrance, and in marshes, push-ups are constructed from vegetation and mud.

Muskrats are most active at night or near dawn and dusk. They feed on cattail and other aquatic vegetation.

One way to identify a muskrat when it is out of the water by its tapering, almost hairless tail.


Reference document on minks and muskrats