Identify this animal. Otter Or Mink?

BargainHunter

Can anyone identify this animal?

My trail camera caught this photo last night in front of my pond. There is a fast flowing stream about 200m away. I cant determine whether its an otter or a mink.

Birdnuts

I would go with otter:)

liah

Definitely looks like an otter to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGkevK9ARVE

homerhop

Yup, it is def an otter.

BargainHunter

Thanks for those opinions. I had no idea there were otters in the area. The nearby stream is quite small. He must have been visiting my pond in search of frogs to eat.

Feargal as Luimneach

homerhop wrote: »

Yup, it is def an otter.

What identification features lead you to say it's an otter?

3ndahalfof6

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

What identification features lead you to say it's an otter?

the tail tip is wide lending it to be an otter

tan11ie

The Otter and Mink look quite similar but Mink are rarely seen in Europe so my bet is the Otter.

Gardener3

Mink are rarely seen in Europe

Unfortunately there are plenty of Mink around - naturalised escapees from fur farms

tan11ie

Gardener3 wrote: »

Unfortunately there are plenty of Mink around - naturalised escapees from fur farms

Surely in this day and age this sort of carry on has been banished from our island!

tan11ie

Obviously not....i feel quite sick now
http://www.ciwf.ie/farminfo/farmfacts_fur.html

Sorry i know I'm going off topic!

Gardener3

I remember being told when I lived in the Skibbereen area about thirty years ago that a mink farm had gone bust and the owners just let the mink loose ......

Mink have no predators here (apart from man) to keep their numbers down and they are lethal to wildlife and poultry

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

tan11ie wrote: »

Mink are rarely seen in Europe

Sorry but that is totally untrue. You are more likely to see a Mink in Ireland than an Otter. Where did you get your information from???? The mink population is well established and does not really result from recent escapees. They are spread throughout the island and not just where fur farms persisit.

Photo seems like Otter to me BTW.

homerhop

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

What identification features lead you to say it's an otter?

Body shape, tail, head.An minks tail is pointed where as an otter's is flatter.The same with their face, an otters is more rounded along the muzzle where as a minks is more pointed.If you can zoom in and also notice the position of the ears in the picture they are positioned on the head different to a mink. I am only half a mile from the river barrow and have watched both otters and mink on it over the years enough to be able to tell the difference.

homerhop

tan11ie wrote: »

The Otter and Mink look quite similar but Mink are rarely seen in Europe so my bet is the Otter.

Ireland is very much alive with mink, not just on main waterways. They are on streams and lakes and I have come across them hunting along ditches quiet a distance away from any source of water.

BryanL

Gardener3 wrote: »

I remember being told when I lived in the Skibbereen area about thirty years ago that a mink farm had gone bust and the owners just let the mink loose ......

Urban myth, farmers releasing mink. Mink pelts have always been worth money. 30 years ago in the eighties a fox pelt was worth £20. Mink much more, it's still a profitable business. No reason the let "money" run free especially during the 80's recession or our brand new one.

Feargal as Luimneach

BryanL wrote: »

Urban myth, farmers releasing mink. Mink pelts have always been worth money. 30 years ago in the eighties a fox pelt was worth £20. Mink much more, it's still a profitable business. No reason the let "money" run free especially during the 80's recession or our brand new one.

The market collapsed that why the mink farmers released them.......

tan11ie

Adalyn Late Robot wrote: »

Sorry but that is totally untrue. You are more likely to see a Mink in Ireland than an Otter. Where did you get your information from???? The mink population is well established and does not really result from recent escapees. They are spread throughout the island and not just where fur farms persisit.

Photo seems like Otter to me BTW.

I stand corrected but I'm learning

cuddlycavies

Yep, defo otter. On the move at present looking for frogs probably. Wish there were no mink here, but of course there are thousands. No natural predators? Differ on that one. Eagles defo, and Buzzards maybe. Any opinions on that?

Birdnuts

cuddlycavies wrote: »

. No natural predators? Differ on that one. Eagles defo, and Buzzards maybe. Any opinions on that?

I remember reading somewhere that both Hen and Marsh Harriers will hunt young ones:)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

The market collapsed that why the mink farmers released them.......

Feargal, I'm afraid most stories of farmers releasing Ming are just that - stories. There is plenty of hard evidence of animal rights groups releasing Mink from farms however.

Mothman

Adalyn Late Robot wrote: »

Feargal, I'm afraid most stories of farmers releasing Ming are just that - stories. There is plenty of hard evidence of animal rights groups releasing Mink from farms however.

One during past few months if I remember correctly....too lazy to search

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mothman wrote: »

One during past few months if I remember correctly....too lazy to search

29th Sept 2010 in Donegal.

Birdnuts

Adalyn Late Robot wrote: »

Feargal, I'm afraid most stories of farmers releasing Ming are just that - stories. There is plenty of hard evidence of animal rights groups releasing Mink from farms however.

Indeed - they also wasted months in the Dail via the GP over a minor Stag hunt when so much more important conservation legislation needed to be enacted:mad:

boneless

I have spotted mink on the Grand Canal at Leeson Street :mad:. They are allover the place.

E39MSport

here's a mink I spotted ( I know you've seen it on the other thread, but just for comparison): -




Seems a lot more streamlined/thinner on the rump than the otter in the first post