European mink show the curious phenomenon of delayed implantation, and after a gestation of 35-72 days, give birth to 2-7 young in April and May.
Mink show the curious phenomenon of delayed implantation. Although the true gestation period is approximately 35-39 days, the embryo may stop developing for a variable period, so that as long as 76 days may elapse before the litter arrives. Between 45 and 52 days is normal. There is only one litter per year, with births occurring in April and May.
The number of young in a litter is between two and seven, but usually the litter is around four or five. Litters as large as 16 have been recorded at fur farms.
• Image | ©️ Die Thukrals, Some Rights Reserved, (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
• Sources | (Nowak, 1999, Shalu, 2001; The Wikimedia Foundation, 2020a; Youngman, 1990)
