Can’t fault the little guy for trying.
Mink are one of those animals that don’t really get a lot of attention outside of aristocratic women wearing their furs at upscale cocktail parties.
They are semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals that are related to weasels, otters, and ferrets and have two extant species: American and European.
The American mink is native to much of the United States and Canada and can be found as far south at Florida and as far north as Alaska. The European mink, sadly, is listed as critically endangered and one of the reasons researchers believe the population has struggled recently is due to American mink being released in Europe and outcompeting the slightly smaller, less aggressive European.
These small creatures feed on rodents, crustaceans, frogs, birds, and fish, but despite their stature, they’re not afraid to go after something many times larger than them.
Case in point, this mink trying steal a 10 pound pike from an angler as he was landing it.
Taken in northwestern Ireland, the video begins with what I assume to be a European mink (although it could easily be an invasive American mink) eyeing up a fish keep net before realizing that one of the anglers nearby was in the process of landing a large pike.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the tiny mink leapt into the water and jumped onto the large pike, much to the ire of the angler, who let loose a stream of unintelligible words that I can’t even start to try and write down…
The mink eventually runs off and the pike was perfectly fine, but man the gall on that mink to think he could chow down something about 5 times his bodyweight is insane.
Put some respect on the mink’s name.
