ENDANGERED SPECIES - EUROPEAN MINKID92920062
A.P.E. COIN EUROPEAN MINK
For the year 2022, being aware of the importance of conserving the integrity and diversity of nature by ensuring the equitable and sustainable use of natural resources, the FNMT-RCM is issuing a collection of 16 coins dedicated to a selection of endangered animals catalogued as Critically Endangered (CR) and included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The complete collection consists of sixteen coins, issued in the year 2022, and an album-case in which to store them in an orderly fashion.
On the obverse, in a central circular area, an image of the European mink (Mustela lutreola) is reproduced in colour. At the top, in a circular shape and in capital letters, the legend EUROPEAN MINK. On the lower part, in a circular shape and in capitals, the legend ESPAÑA (SPAIN) and the year of issue 2022.
On the reverse (common to all the coins), within a central circle, the legend ANIMALS IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION appears at the top, in a circular shape and in capitals; below it, the value of the coin 1.5 EURO, in two lines and in capitals; and below it, the mint mark.
| Series | Endangered Species |
| Year | 2022 |
| Colour | Yes |
| Diameter (mm) | 33 |
| Face Value (Euro) | 1.5 |
| Metal | Cupronickel |
| Weight (g) | 15 |
| Maximum Mintage (units) | 5,000 |
European mink (Mustela lutreola)
It is one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. There are currently only three populations: in central Russia, in Romania (Danube delta) and the one restricted to south-western France and northern Spain. These three populations are in clear decline.
This small carnivore has semi-aquatic habits. It inhabits riverbanks and banks, in areas with little human presence and abundant vegetation cover, through which it moves very quickly and discreetly due to its small size and elongated silhouette. They cope equally well both on land and in the water, the latter being a medium for which they are perfectly adapted, with interdigital membranes on all four limbs that allow them to swim quickly and easily.
Males are somewhat larger and heavier than females, at about 55 cm in length and weighing just under 1 kg. The main difference with the American mink (Neovison vison) is a uniform dark brown coat, with two white patches around the muzzle, on the upper lip and on the lower lip. Its diet is strictly carnivorous but very varied, ranging from fish and small mammals to reptiles, birds and amphibians.
The main reason why this small carnivore is critically endangered according to the Red List of Threatened Species is the presence of the American mink (an invasive species introduced by man years ago when fur farms began to proliferate), which has been cornering the European mink, also transmitting the Aleutian mink disease, to which the European species is less resistant than the American. This fact, together with the degradation and contamination of the waters of the rivers that form their natural habitat, or road accidents, has meant that the population of European mink in the rivers in the north of our country has been reduced to a few hundred specimens.