Mink

There are two living species of 'mink," the American Mink and the European Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but is much larger. All three species of mink are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and the otters.

The American Mink is larger, and more adaptable than the European Mink. It is sometimes possible to distinguish the European and American species because the American Mink usually has a large white patch on its upper lip, while the European Mink always has one. Any mink without such a patch can be identified with certainty as an American Mink, but an individual with such a patch, if encountered in continental Europe, cannot be certainly identified without looking at the skeleton.