Marten

The Marten belongs to the Mustelidae family, and is related to the weasel, mink and wolverine. There are nine Marten species found in various regions of the northern hemisphere: the American Marten, Pine Marten, Newfoundland Pine Marten, Yellow-throated marten, Nilgiri Marten, Beech Marten, Japanese Marten, Sable and Fisher.

Marten inhabit coniferous and northern deciduous forests, and they have a number of adaptations that facilitate their life in trees. Marten have sharp retractile claws, and have flexible bodies providing ease and swiftness of movement. They have a dense fur, which is highly valuable on the fur market. The fur color varies according to species. Marten are agile hunters, and their ratio includes rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, egg, insects, and fish, as well as berries, fruits and nuts.

Marten are territorial and solitary animals, and they come together only during mating seasons. Mating periods vary according to the species and distribution. Females are not easily persuaded, and can even be aggressive toward males. Embryos do not develop right after mating, and usually it takes several months for implantation to take place. During non-mating periods, each individual, regardless of sex, maintains its own home range. Males have larger domains.

The American Marten (Martes americana) is found in Alaska. It has a soft and profuse coat that comes in various colors from pale yellow to dark brown, and the length of his body (not including tail) ranges between 19 and 25 inches. The Pine Marten (Martes martes) is native to northern Europe. Its dense coat comes in various shades of brown, and body length averages 18-20 inches. The Newfoundland Pine Marten (Martes americana atrata) is only found on the Newfoundland Island, and there are very few of them left in the wild. They have a dark brown fur, which is lighter on the head, and there is a yellowish patch on the throat. These animals have a bushy tail, which is half their body length.

Yellow-throated Marten (Martes flavigula) are common in temperate and coniferous forests of India and Southeast Asia. Its coat color ranges from yellowish-orange to dark brown. The tail is black, and there is a yellow marking on the throat. Nilgiri Marten (Martes gwatkinsii) are native to southern India. According to general appearance, he resembles the Nilgiri Marten, but is a little larger and has a different shape of the skull.

The Beech Marten (Martes foina) is common in a large area extending from northern Europe to the Mediterranean southwards and to the Himalayans eastwards. His body length averages 17-21 inches. Coat color ranges from grayish brown to dark brown, and there is a white strip running from the chin and down to the chest. The Japanese Marten (Martes melampus) has a dense pelage ranging in color from yellowish to dark brown, with a cream marking on the throat. There are tree subspecies of the Japanese Marten.

The Sable (Martes zibellina) is distributed in Russia (Siberia), Mongolia and China, as well as on the Hokkaido Island, Japan. They vary in color from light brown to black. His fur is highly prized, and illegal hunting increased in the 1990s. However, the species has no definite conservation status. The Fisher’s (Martes penannti) range extends from California to the Appalachians (West Virginia), New England, Canada and southern Alaska. This is the largest Marten, measuring up to 49 inches.