# Where Do American Minks Live?

> Where american minks live: Rivers, lakes, marshes, and coastlines, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** American Mink (*Neogale vison*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — fish, birds, rodents, and amphibians
- **Habitat:** Rivers, lakes, marshes, and coastlines
- **Lifespan:** 3–10 years in the wild (longer in captivity)
- **Top speed:** Up to 25 km/h (16 mph) on land; strong swimmer
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mink/where-do-mink-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mink/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The American mink (Neogale vison) is a sleek, semi-aquatic member of the weasel family, native to North America and widely introduced across Europe and Asia. About 60 cm long including the tail and weighing up to 1.6 kg, it has dark, water-repellent fur and hunts fish, birds, and small mammals along rivers and lakesides. An agile swimmer and climber, it lives up to ten years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Semi-aquatic hunting

The American mink is equally at home in water and on land, hunting fish, frogs, and crayfish beneath the surface and rodents, rabbits, and birds along the bank. It swims strongly and can dive to catch prey, using partially webbed feet and a streamlined body. On land it moves in a bounding gait at up to 25 km/h (16 mph) and readily climbs to reach nests. This versatility makes it one of the most effective small predators of wetland habitats.

## Help protect the American Mink

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mink/where-do-mink-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.