Mink Latrines are Hotspots for Wildlife Activity

Lisa M. Smith^1,* and Kendyl N. Hassler¹

¹Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 23, Issue 3 (2024): N37–N43

First published early online: 1 September 2024

Abstract
The state-threatened Neogale vison evergladensis (Everglades Mink) is a small, semi-aquatic mustelid endemic to extreme south Florida. To monitor the Everglades Mink, we used a scat-detection dog to survey 24 transects in Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and Picayune Strand State Forest. When the detection dog alerted on a hollowed-out cypress root structure and no scat was located, we placed a game camera at the location. Eight days after camera placement, we observed an increase in mink detections and the appearance of multiple scats on a log, indicating a latrine. Our study documents the initiation and the termination of an Everglades Mink latrine site on a camera trap for what we believe is the first time. Following the initiation of the latrine, we also detected Procyon lotor (Raccoon; n = 22), Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum; n = 4), Lynx rufus (Bobcat; n = 2), and Corvus ossifragus (Fish Crow; n = 4). Detections of other species ceased almost entirely after the latrine was no longer active. The increase in visitation of nontarget species indicates that latrines may serve as an attractant to other animals. Observations of latrine use and cross-species visitation and marking should be investigated further to better understand the potential for indirect disease transmission and the possible impacts to the threatened Everglades Mink.

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