Gas Pains

The Weasels of Wauwatosa

Posted by Tom Gaertner on Dec. 6, 2014

Critters, Weasels, Mink, River Otters, Life In Tosa

I'm up north chasing whitetails with my buddy Braumeister.  Neither of us saw anything this morning.  My excuse is I slept-in.  I don't know what his excuse is.  I know it sounds strangely counterintuitive but why is it that a deer stand constructed of hard lumber and wrapped in camo burlap is so slumber-inducing?  I digress.  Braumeister did spot a weasel this morning.  Likely a short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea) - it was transitioning to its white winter coat.

Wauwatosa seems to have weasels too.

Some of you readers have likely already viewed the videos imbedded in this post circulating on Facebook.  I had an email exchange yesterday with the videographer himself to obtain his permission to post them here on the WauwatosaNOW homepage.

Originally thought to be river otters - the wildlife biologists over at Wisconsin DNR believe these to be mink.  River otters can grow to 21-25 pounds depending upon their sex.  The stature of these fur-bearing critters seems better-suited to mink.

Belonging to the family Mustelidae mink are related to otters, badgers, skunks, wolverines and other members of the weasel family.  As a matter of fact, if they are startled - just like their skunk cousins - they'll spray intruders with a foul-smelling liquid. 

Mink make their home in forested areas adjacent to aquatic features.  With a slender body their long thick tail makes-up about a third of their body length. A semi-aquatic critter they are known to spend a great deal of time in the water.  They swim and dive in rivers, creeks and ponds foraging for whatever comes their way.  They can dive as deeply as 16 feet.  Their principle diet consists of frogs, fish, snakes, crayfish, small birds and rodents.  I was surprised to learn that they like to dine on muskrats. 

I don't want to read too much into the fact that this is a pair of mink and they might just be a couple.  But I think it is noteworthy to know that mating season is nigh upon us.  A litter of up to a half-dozen kits may be born in April to May.  The young will remain with the mother until fall.

In any event, whether these are mink or river otter it's pretty cool to observe something like these critters take-up residence in Wauwatosa.  I hope they stick around.  Andrew Geppi - a waiter at Café Hollander - first spotted the single animal running on the ice and Peter Lakatos shot the video and some still pictures with his iPhone.

I think spending some time at the Tosa establishments bordering the river is in order.  Be sure to request a window seat.  Who knows what you might see...