Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 10
Mountain Mink
Now you see 'em, now you don't.
BY NANCY HENDERSON
I
n late summer 2024, while hiking one of the
main trails in the Deep Creek area west of
Cherokee, North Carolina, Chris Ogle spotted
a wild animal resembling a " mini-otter. " The
mink was about 40 yards away, on a creek bank.
" It dipped into the water and I think it was feeding, "
says Ogle, a certified wildlife biologist and surveys
manager at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
" We watched for a minute or so and finally it came
back up and went back in its den, a little hole it ducked
into next to a tree right next to the water. "
Most people are surprised to learn that mink live
in the Blue Ridge region, Ogle says. " They're very
common, but you don't see them very often because
they are more nocturnal. They're secretive
and quick. "
In fact, this long, slender member of the weasel
family is surprisingly nimble, which " is kind of funny, "
Ogle says, " because their legs are kind of short
compared to their body. They almost look like a wiener
dog. The few times you get to see them, a quick
flash is all you're going to see most of the time. "
About half the size of an otter, which tends to be a
little sleeker with a watery shine to its coat, the mink
sports a fluffier tail equal to about a third of its body
length and a unique dark-all-over hue. Oily hairs waterproof
and protect their coats.
" Most wildlife species exhibit a camouflage pattern
we call countershading, which means they're dark on
top and light on bottom, " says Ogle. " But mink are
different. They're dark all around so they are harder
to spot. "
This long, slender member of the weasel family
is surprisingly nimble, which is kind of funny,
because their legs are kind of short
compared to their body. They
almost look like a wiener dog.
The few times you get to see
them, a quick flash is all you're
going to see most of the time.
10 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 4
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 5
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 6
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 7
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 8
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 9
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Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 81
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - 82
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country Jan/Feb 2025 - Cover4
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