Black Mink

Cunning, carnivorous mammals reaching up to 4' in length, black minks are dangerous freshwater predators. Much larger than their kin, they are strong swimmers in spite of their weight which is fifty to eighty pounds. (Males are larger than female.) Black minks are most common in the Wetwang (Nindalf), near Ithilien, but they can occasionally be found in other areas in north-central Middle-earth, always near water (marshes, stream or riverbanks, or the shore of freshwater lakes).

Black minks are voracious and seem to possess a surprising degree of brutal intelligence. They have been known, for example to wait for a young, tender creature of some sort to stray far from its mother before attacking. They usually hunt alone, but in the early spring they come together in groups of 7-12 to choose mates for the year. At this time they will attack anything that crosses the path. They cannot be driven off when they are in this state, on killed, and they will fight until literally torn apart.

If an intact pelt is somehow obtained by such subtle methods poison or drowning (difficult, as they can hold their breath for up to ten minutes), it is worth a great deal of money (anywhere from six to fifteen gold pieces, depending upon the market), for the fur of the black mink is fabulously thick and glossy, as well as heir entirely waterproof.