Sea Mink

Neovison macrodon

Sea Minks are another species that have gone extinct in more recent times. These close relatives to the American Mink lived on the Atlantic coast, and were for a while considered to be a subspecies of the American Mink, but recent research has shown that the two are distinct species.

In their time, the Sea Minks lived off of the ocean, consuming fish and mollusks. Unfortunately, they were hunted to extinction by around 1894.

The primary reason for the loss of this species is the think reddish fur that they possessed. At the time, the European fur trade was in high demand for Mink pelts, and the Sea Mink was the largest Mink out there. While they had assuredly been hunted for hundreds, if not thousands of years by native peoples, the European demand was the final blow.

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IUCN Status :  Extinct since the 1890s

Location : North Atlantic Coast of United states and Canada

Size : Length up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Mustelidae -- Genus : Neovison -- Species : †N. macrodon