Predators of the European mink include the western polecat, American mink, golden eagle, red fox, and large owls.
Predators of the European mink include the western polecat (Mustela putorius), the American mink (Neovison vison), the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), large owls, and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).
Red fox numbers have increased greatly in areas where the wolf and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) have been extirpated, as well as areas where modern forestry is practiced. As red foxes are known to prey on mustelids, excessive fox predation on the European mink is a possible factor, though it is improbable to have been a factor in Finland, where fox numbers were low during the early 20th century.
• Image | ©️ Paco Gómez, Some Rights Reserved, (CC BY-SA 2.0)
• Sources | (Heptner & Sludskii, 2002; Maran & Henttonen, 1995; The Wikimedia Foundation, 2020a)
