Sea mink

The sea mink, Neogale macrodon, is a recently extinct species of mink that lived on the eastern coast of North America around the Gulf of Maine on the New England seaboard. It was most closely related to the American mink, and there is continuing debate over whether it was a subspecies of that animal or a species of its own, the main argument for separate status being its larger size, though other distinctions have been made, such as its redder fur. It was first described in 1903, after its extinction, from bone fragments unearthed in Native American shell middens, so its size is speculative and what is known of its appearance and habits comes from speculation and from accounts by fur traders and Native Americans. It was probably found on the New England coast and the Maritime Provinces, and according to fur traders it was nocturnal and rested in caves and rock crevices by day. The largest of the minks, it was prized by fur traders and became extinct in the late 19th or early 20th century.