Name: Mustela vison
Class Mammalia, Order Carnivora Family, Mustelidae
Geologic Time: Holocene to Pleistocene
Size: 73 mm long
Fossil Site: Bonner Springs, Kansas
 This
skull comes from a Mink known as Mustela vison, that is often simply
called the American Mink. This is the same species as is extant today.
They are typically found near water to which they require ready access.
While they are well distributed throughout North America, they were
accidentally introduced into the wild in Great Britain as escapees
from commercial mink ranches, and have become a problematic predator
of native animals. This skull comes from a series of river terrace
deposits near Bonner Springs, Kansas. These specimens are found as
drifts on the riverbanks and sand bars, and as such have possibly
been reworked from older deposits. They are found in association with
bison, mammoths, mastodons, muskoxen, deer, peccary, short-faced bears,
and others. Most of them have been dated as Rancholabrean Stage in
age, and are so about 10,000 years old. Specimens of bison have ranged
from 8,000 to 35,000 years in age which provides a viable estimate
of the age. It is fully articulated, and a dramatic display or study
specimen. |
