An American mink peers out of a knothole on the old floating dock at the Gibsons government wharf last month. These hyperactive members of the weasel family (Mustelidae) are more easily spooked than their larger otter relatives, diving for cover as soon as they see they’ve been spotted. They are semi-aquatic, with water-repellent fur and webbed feet, though not to the same degree as river otters. As well as fish and crustaceans, mink eat small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
