More feet

Front left foot of a mink

What: A friend up in Fairfield had a mink (Mustela vison) kill all of her chickens while she was away on vacation. Her neighbor's dog subsequently killed the mink. I went up on Sunday to pick up the mink, which is in great shape, save a puncture on its back and snout. I see their tracks often, so it was great to get to look up close at their feet - you can actually see "fingerprints" on each of the toes! Like all members of the weasel family (Mustelidae), mink have five toes on both their front and rear feet. (insectivores also have the same number of toes but are considerably smaller). The toes are webbed maybe half way up the digit (mink are highly aquatic), and their toenails were incredibly sharp.

Hind feet (right foot is on bottom) of a mink

Where: Fairfield, VT