SINCE pictures of this water-loving animal first appeared on The Bolton News' website, it has variously been described as a beaver, an otter and a vole.
The animal, which has brown fur, was captured swimming in the Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal at Radcliffe by amateur cameraman Peter Lee.
Mr Lee, aged 49, first thought it was a cat slinking along the banks of the canal.
But when the animal jumped into the water, he realised it was something else and got out his video camera.
Mr Lee launched an appeal for help in identifying the animal.
And last night, his question was finally answered by a wildlife expert, who said the animal was a mink.
Wes Halton, a former ranger at Moses Gate Country Park, said: "It is definitely a mink.
"When I worked as a ranger, we found them occasionally around Crompton Lodges.
"There used to be a mink farm at Darcy Lever and odd animals escaped from there in the past."
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