Nevada mammals

American Mink in Nevada

Neogale vison

Native to Nevada S4 Apparently Secure in Nevada

Not listed as nonindigenous in Nevada by USGS NAS; native to its Nevada range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Norka amerykańska (neovison vison)Neovison vison PPAmerican MinkMinkforWikiAmerican Mink (Neogale vison)
Photo: Wojciech Uszak · CC BY-SA 4.0Norka amerykańska (neovison vison)Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 3.0Neovison vison PPPhoto: Patrick Reijnders · CC BY-SA 3.0American MinkPhoto: Needsmoreritalin · CC BY-SA 3.0MinkforWikiPhoto: nuthatchnicole · CC BY 4.0American Mink (Neogale vison)

American Mink in Nevada, by the numbers

Rare in Nevada 100th most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

19 occurrence records
14 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 7, 2026 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

19 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 17; the monthly chart covers the 17 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the American Mink in Nevada

Most sightings fall in April.

17 Nevada occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February0
March1
April4
May1
June2
July0
August3
September1
October0
November1
December1

Monthly american mink occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nevada, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Nevada, with recorded sightings peaking in April, with a smaller rise in August and January.

Occurrence map

Where American Mink has been recorded in Nevada

17 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

17 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Toiyabe National Forest 8
South Fork State Recreation Area 1

Protected places with the most american mink sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Nevada

CountyRecords
Washoe County 10
Elko County 5
Lyon County 1
Carson City County 1
Other localities 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 4 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge is the only named Nevada site attached to an American mink record in this overlay. A lone mapped place says more about the limits of reporting than about the species’ statewide range.

That named location gives the records a specific Nevada anchor, but one site can’t describe a statewide distribution.

The overlay draws on 13 research-grade iNaturalist records and 2 GBIF records, with 15 Nevada records after the sources are combined. These are documented encounters, not an abundance estimate. The American mink is native to Nevada; NatureServe ranks it S4 (Apparently Secure) in the state, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern globally.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Norka amerykańska (neovison vison)
Full species profile American Mink Neogale vison Size 33–45.7 cm13–18 in Weight 0.5–1.4 kg1–3 lb Lifespan Up to 11.4 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nevada in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"