The European mink has an evenly distributed brown or black coat color that is lighter in the summer and, unlike the American mink, its chin and lips are pure white.
In dark colored European mink individuals, the fur is dark brown or almost blackish-brown, while light individuals are reddish brown. The summer fur is somewhat lighter, and dirty in tone, with more reddish highlights.
Fur color is evenly distributed over the whole body, though in a few cases, the belly is a bit lighter than the upper parts. In particularly dark individuals, a dark, broad dorsal belt is present. The limbs and tail are slightly darker than the trunk.
The face has no color pattern, though both its upper and lower lips and chin are pure white. White markings may also occur on the lower surface of the throat, neck, chest, and stomach area. Occasionally, color mutations such as albinos and white spots throughout the pelage occur.
The European mink is similar in color to the American mink (Neovison vison), but unlike the European mink, the American mink almost never has white marks on the upper lip.
• Image | ©️ zoofanatic, Some Rights Reserved, (CC BY 2.0)
• Sources | (Grzimek, 1990; Heptner & Sludskii; 2002; Shalu, 2001; The Wikimedia Foundation, 2020a; Youngman, 1990)
