I spotted this little critter on the banks of the River Mersey and just as was I photographing it two walkers happened to be passing by and we had a discussion as to what it was. I said a white mink, as did one of the walkers whereas the other couldn't decide if it was a polecat or a ferret.
I believe it to be a white mink, however I am far from an expert on minks, but one thing I do know is that minks are good swimmers and this creature was a brilliant swimmer. It would slip into the murky water and disappear out of sight and fifteen seconds later it would surface in a different location. It is also a hunter as we witnessed when it very nearly captured a moor-hen.
Can anyone give a positive id as to what it is? (click on each image to enlarge)
15 comments:
Could be a white mink. A few years back, on holiday in Scotland we left an egg out for a Pine Marten that was known to frequent the area. After keeping watch for several hours, at 2am it appeared out of the trees, scampered across the lawn and took the whole egg, unbroken, in its mouth and sauntered off. A memorable sight.
Q: What's the difference between a weasel and a stoat?
A: You can weasely tell them apart because they're stoatily different.
Thanks TC, I'll nab it with my air rifle tomorrow.
They aren't a "protected species" or any of that cobblers are they?
A DJ was seriously injured and his dog was left fighting for its life after a Staffordshire bull terrier attacked them while they were out on a walk.
Musician Dan Baxter was left in hospital for three days after he needed surgery when his hands were bitten by the out of control dog.
His King Charles spaniel Giz meanwhile had a chunk bitten out of his stomach during the attack.
What: Farewell Mandela candlelit vigil
Where: Manchester Cathedral, Cathedral Gardens
When: Sunday 15 December, 3pm
Who: Joint memorial event by Manchester City Council and Manchester Cathedral
If: You don't have a candle, a burning tyre in remembrance of the many necklacing victims
Looks like a ferret to me.
On the subject of pit bulls, well he was walking his dog in Moss Side....
Like I've said, if you own a dog go tooled up with a suitable implement. Something legal like a bradawl in case your shoes need mending....
My uncle had his greyhound attacked by a stray staffy a while back on Dukinfield Road in Hyde, sunk its teeth into its back leg and wouldn't let go.
He punched it several times in the face to no avail. So he grabbed its face and pushed his thumbs into its eyes - did the trick. Another method when defending against a dog attack is to pull its front legs apart which collapses the dog's rib cage so it can't breathe.
I am pretty sure it's a mink. It will have escaped from a fur farm. White mink are bred and killed to make expensive ladies coats.
Mink as fur coats is a bit weird, if your going to have a fur coat it may as well be one made from a wolf or a tiger or something, that you've killed yourself with a pitchfork or something, now that would be something to brag about.
Its a ferret (thats my bet). Ferrets are a descendant of polecats that were domesticated around 2500 yrs ago probably for hunting although no one is certain that's the reason. Its head doesn't look like a mink. Only thing distinguishes a polecat from a ferret is its origin. Taxonomically there is probably no real difference without looking at specific genes. I'd bet £10 its a ferret but you would have to kill it to find out.
Just looked it up in a book and it's a stoat.
I'd throw that book away. Its not got the tail of stoat. Looks nothing like one. Stoats have a completely different shape/build. Its head is shaped nothing like one.
Thanks for the feedback but if you look at this image of a captive white mink it does look pretty much identical to the one I photographed. Look at the colour of nose, shape of the fingers/claws and the ears as reference points when comparing.
@14/12/2013 20:15 yes you are right big mistaka to make a
I believe a common anti-mad dog tactic used by American cyclists when being chased is to stop and hold up the bicycle pump horizontally.
The dog will automatically jump up and bite it whereupon you kick it as hard as possible between the legs. Obviously more effective on boy dogs.
Mink are definately knocking about. Several years ago, I spotted a black mink under the bridge on Trinity St, (River Thame) in Stalybridge, near to the library. They're good swimmers and it was possibly after the trout that are in the river. The kids who were fishing spotted it and thought it was a rat. These mink are escapees given their freedom by hunt sabs who raided mink farms years ago and liberated them.
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