The Wonders of God’s Creation
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind... and it was so.... And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24.25.
The mink is a pretty little animal with thick and glossy dark-brown fur, offset by a white spot on its chin which often extends over its cheeks and down between its front legs. It is only about two feet long from nose to tail-tip and weighs less than four pounds. Beady black eyes, a long slender neck and small ears all add to its beauty and give it a very alert appearance. Its legs are short and the feet are equipped with razor-edged claws.
Like weasels, their food is mostly fish, frogs, mice and other small animals, birds, eggs, muskrats and rabbits. The Creator has equipped them with partially webbed hind feet to help in swimming and moving about underwater for much of their food.
Excellent swimmers, they like to make their homes close to streams or ponds, sometimes in abandoned animal burrows, inside a hollow log, or in tall grass under an overhanging bank. If necessary they make their own burrows, about ten-feet long and usually with two entrances. One entrance may be under water, but both open to a large den where half a dozen or so little ones are raised in the springtime. When born, these babies are tinier than a man’s little finger and are covered with soft white fuzz.
The mother mink nurses them for about five weeks and then adds some solid food for two more weeks before taking them outside where she teaches them to find their own food. She also teaches them how to protect themselves from owls, bobcats, etc. The youngsters playfully chase each other around, have mock battles and slide down banks into streams. At other times they curl up like a ball and float down a stream as lightly as a cork, just for the fun of it.
Adult mink are tough fighters, lightning-fast on their feet and put their needle-sharp teeth and claws to good use. They also spray enemies with an awful-smelling musk which discourages the most vicious bobcat, fox or owl foolish enough to attack.
During winter they continue hunting, their webbed feet helping them in snow and their sharp ears detecting the noise of mice below the surface. Rapidly, they dig through to capture the rodents that no doubt thought themselves quite safe.
Wild animals have no knowledge of their Creator and His constant care of them. The Bible verse says: “O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness.” Psalms 36:6,7. How happy for us to notice that this verse includes mankind, just as the Bible tells us in many places of His love and care for us. Have you ever thanked Him for this?
ML-07/23/1989