A Florida resident has captured extraordinary footage showing an Everglades mink walking down a dirt road with a large snake he had just caught.
Hannah Cardenas sent her footage to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC, explaining that it is rare to see minks due to the elusive nature of the animal, shared the footage via Facebook on Monday, saying:
"Imagine the surprise to see this Everglades mink scattered across the street leading to dinner! A mother and daughter were on their way home from a nature hike in Fakahatchi Strand Preserve State Park when they saw this mink running across the street in front of them - Seconds later, it ran back to the road with a huge snake in its mouth!"
Minks sometimes prey on snakes longer than their body length. They also eat fish, birds and small mammals.
According to the FWC website, mink is difficult to study in terms of abundance and distribution "because this species is small in size, fast-moving, and excellent at staying out of sight. They often accompany much larger and more common river otters." get confused."
Mink is listed as threatened in Florida.