area: Canada, North America.

Description: The American marten is a small, furry mammal with an elongated body. The tail is long and fluffy, making up one third of the total length of the animal. The ears are small, rounded, the nose is sharply protruding. The paws are short, with five toes on each paw. The claws are sharp, curved, adapted for climbing trees. The eyes are big. The fur is long and shiny. Males are heavier and larger than females.

Color: fur is brown, with shades from dark red to light brown. The muzzle and underside of the body are lighter in color, the paws and tail are dark brown or black, and the chest is patched with cream.

Size: males - 55-68 cm, females - 49-60 cm, tail 16-24 cm.

Weight: 500-1500

Lifespan: up to 10-15 years.

Habitat: dark coniferous forests: mature coniferous forests of pine, spruce and other trees. Stands with a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees, including white pine, yellow birch, maple, fir and spruce.

Enemies: unknown, presumably owls and large carnivores.

Food: The diet of the American marten includes a variety of foods: red squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, mice, voles, partridges and their eggs, fish, frogs, insects, honey, mushrooms, seeds. If food is scarce, marten can eat almost anything that is edible, including vegetable feed and carrion.

Behavior: mostly nocturnal mammal, but active at dusk (morning and evening), and often during the day.
The marten is very agile - it jumps from branch to branch through the trees, marking the paths of movement with the smell of its glands. Hunt alone. It is well adapted to climbing trees, where it catches squirrels in nests at night.
The marten kills its prey with a bite to the back of the head, breaking the cervical vertebrae and destroying the victim's spinal cord. In winter, martens tunnel through the snow in search of mouse-like rodents.
The anal and abdominal scent glands are well developed and are characteristic of all members of the weasel family.
Martens have a good appetite, they are very curious, which is why they sometimes make trouble for themselves, for example, they fall into traps and various traps.

social structure: Male American martens are territorial: they defend their territory. Animals bypass their territory every 8-10 days. Neither males nor females tolerate strangers of the same sex in their territory, and behave very aggressively towards them.
The size of an individual plot is not stable and depends on a number of factors: the size of the animal, the abundance of food, the availability fallen trees etc.
Marking of animals showed that some of them live settled, while others are nomadic (mostly young animals).

reproduction: males and females meet each other only for two months - July and August, when the rut occurs, the rest of the time they lead a solitary lifestyle. The male and female find each other with the help of scent marks left by the anal glands. After mating, the fertilized eggs do not develop immediately, but are in the uterus at rest for another 6-7 months. Pregnancy after the latent period is 2 months. The male does not take any part in rearing the offspring.
For childbirth, the female prepares a nest, which is lined with grass and other plant material. The nest is located in hollow trees, logs or other voids.

Season/breeding period: July August.

Puberty: at 15-24 months, give birth to cubs usually at 3 years.

Pregnancy: average 267 days.

Offspring: the female gives birth to up to 7 puppies (average 3-4).
Newborn puppies are blind and deaf, weighing 25-30 g. Ears open on day 26, and eyes after 39. Lactation lasts up to 2 months. At 3-4 months, puppies can already get their own food.

Benefit / harm to humans: American marten- an enemy of game animals, such as gray and fox squirrels and rabbits.
Martens are hunted for their valuable fur. Previously, one skin paid $100, but now the price is $12-$20 per skin.

Population/conservation status : Hunting and habitat loss (logging) have led to population decline, but the species is not currently threatened.
Many American martens die in rabbit traps.

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Marten- small predatory animal, which in nature does not have so many enemies. From a lynx, cougar, coyote or fox, she instantly flees by climbing a tree, although sometimes she becomes the prey of an eagle or owl. The main threat to its existence is human activity.

HABITAT

The American marten is most likely to settle in coniferous forests. North America, where for her there will always be a safe haven and a generous table is set in the form of all kinds of forest rodents. However, under the onslaught of civilization, coniferous arrays are steadily shrinking, and the marten had to adapt to new natural conditions. She has successfully mastered mixed forests, where spruces predominate in the stand, as well as deciduous forests, where maples, beeches and birches dominate. The American marten avoids open spaces and proximity to humans.

LIFESTYLE

The marten leads a solitary life, occupying a home area of ​​​​4 to 10 square meters. km. As a rule, the hunting grounds of the male are larger than those of the female, and often they partially coincide with the areas of neighboring females. However, despite the close proximity of the properties, their owners are very rare. The marten regularly marks the boundaries of its territory with secretions of odorous glands located on the abdomen and near the anus. She spends her whole life in tireless wanderings through the forest, showing particular activity in the summer. The marten usually goes hunting in the evening twilight, but in the summer it also hunts during the day. To get lunch or dinner, she has to walk at least 4-5 km. Not disdaining plant foods, the marten is primarily a strong and energetic predator and is one of the best prey in the taiga. She successfully hunts small rodents, hares and squirrels, tirelessly chasing her chosen prey, climbing into hollows and digging other people's holes. Birds are often its prey the bats; she is not averse to eating chicks and drinks bird eggs, carefully holding them with her front paws. With dexterity and speed of movement in the crowns of trees, the marten is not inferior to squirrels. On occasion, it is supported with appetite by insects, earthworms and even carrion. After a successful hunt, she eats small prey on the spot, and hides large prey in reserve in order to return later and eat the leftovers. In summer, the marten's diet is supplemented with fruits and berries: wild apples, blackberries and cherries. The marten is an excellent swimmer and diver. She does not have a permanent lair - most shelters are temporary, and she does not deal with their arrangement, hiding in them only from bad weather and predators. A marten never occupies the same dwelling for a long time. In winter and in severe weather, she sleeps peacefully in her lair for most of the day.

SECURITY

Unfortunately, the marten is the owner of a very beautiful, durable and valuable fur. The huge demand for marten skins led to the mass extermination of these animals. Until 1914, about 200 thousand martens were harvested annually in Canada, which led to the almost complete destruction of their population. Since 1950, the state took the American marten under strict protection and set about resettling animals imported from the USA in their old forest lands. These efforts were successful, and the marten population in Canada was restored. Today, in those areas where martens have bred in sufficient numbers, their limited shooting is allowed.

BREEDING

Rutting in martens is observed in summer - usually in July-August. During this period, the animals briefly humble their quarrelsome disposition and are actively engaged in the search for a partner. After a two-week courtship, the male, without unnecessary ceremonies, mates with the chosen one several times during the day, after which the couple scatters about their business. During one mating season, both male and female can have several sexual partners. Having undergone preliminary division, fertilized eggs seem to fall into hibernation for 6-7 months, and with the advent of spring, special physiological processes in the mother's body give a new impetus to their development and implantation of embryos in the uterine cavity. From this moment, the accelerated development of the embryos begins, and the final stage of pregnancy lasts about 30 days. In March-April, the female brings an average of three cubs, which are born in a specially prepared nest - most often in a tree hollow.

Newborns are blind and covered with sparse fur. For 45 days, the mother feeds her offspring with milk. Babies grow up quickly and already a month old they see, hear and have a full set of milk teeth. One and a half month old cubs are so frisky and restless that the mother drags them to a new den on the ground, trying to protect them from falling from tall tree. By the end of the third month of life, young martens reach the size of adults and part with their mother to go in search of their own territory. Females reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age and males at 3 years of age.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • In one day, the marten is able to overcome up to 25 km. To do this, she must make about 30 thousand jumps 60-70 cm long.
  • A marten needs 120 g of food per day, but she often has to be content with a much more modest portion - 60-90 g.
  • The American marten is the most dexterous and agile climber among all members of the marten family.
  • The fishing marten (pecan) surpasses all its relatives in size. The length of her body reaches 80 cm and weight - 5 kg. Since her hunting grounds coincide with those of the pine marten, the latter often becomes the prey of her giantess cousin.
  • The marten usually does not store food, and after a successful hunt, it immediately eats its prey. For a long time zoologists could not find an explanation for the bloody battles that martens-heathens staged when they climbed into the chicken coop. The answer turned out to be simple: wild nature the potential victim of a predator tries to flee, and reacts in the same way to the appearance of an enemy Domestic bird. However, there is nowhere to run in a locked chicken coop, and at the sight of such an abundance of defenseless prey, the marten falls into a hunting passion, instinctively killing everyone who falls into her claws. Having gutted one unfortunate chicken and having eaten to satiety, the robber leaves, and the owners can only count the losses.

RELATED SPECIES

The genus of martens is represented by seven species. All of them live in the Northern Hemisphere and have a similar body structure, differing from each other, mainly in the color of the hairline.
Kharza- found in the forests of Central and Southeast Asia.

stone marten- lives in southern and central Europe; settles in highlands and near human habitation.


The marten is a representative of a large marten family. It is an agile and nimble predator, capable of easily overcoming various obstacles in pursuit of prey, climbing the upper canopy of the forest and climbing tree trunks. Animal marten is a valuable fur animals and has beautiful noble fur from dark chestnut to brownish-yellow shades.

Animal marten: description

The marten is an animal with thick and soft fur that can be dyed in various shades of brown.(dark brown, chestnut, brownish yellow). On the neck, the marten has a yellow throat spot, round in shape. Paws are short, five-fingered. The fingers have claws. The muzzle is sharp. Ears - short, triangular, with a yellow stripe along the edge. The body is slender, squat, slightly elongated (from 45 cm to 58 cm). The tail is fluffy, long, reaching half the marten's body (from 16 cm to 28 cm in length). Body weight - from 800 g to 1.8 kg. Females are on average 30 percent lighter than males. Winter marten fur is much silkier and longer than summer fur, and summer fur is stiffer and shorter than winter fur.

Types of martens

In nature, there are several types of martens, which each live in their own geographical and climatic zones, spreading strictly within their own ranges.

  • Martes americana - the American marten is included in the category of rare animals, outwardly resembles a pine marten, a nocturnal predatory animal.
  • Martes pennanti - ilka occupies hollow trees, preferring to stick to coniferous forest plantations.
  • Martes foina - stone marten inhabits an extremely large area, more often than other species it is an object of hunting for fur production.
  • Martes martes - pine marten is very common in Europe and Eurasia, is a source of quality fur.
  • Martes gwatkinsii - Nilgiri marten is a unique animal that occupies the southern zones.
  • Martes zibellina - sable is an old object of hunting, sometimes forms a hybrid species called kidus (a cross between a marten and a sable).
  • Martes flavigula - charza belongs to the category of Asian inhabitants, occupying vast areas there.
  • Martes melampus - Japanese marten is a source of fur in the territory of the main Japanese islands.

Marten habitats

The American marten is found throughout the American continent. Ilka occupies a niche in the North American forests, meeting from the Appalachians (West Virginia) to the Sierra Nevada (California). The stone marten inhabits the vast majority of the Eurasian continent - its habitat ranges from the Himalayas and Mongolia to the Iberian Peninsula. Specially brought to Wisconsin (USA). The pine marten covers almost all European countries: it can be found from Western Siberia to the British Isles in the north and from Elbrus and the Caucasus to the Mediterranean in the south. The Nilgiri marten inhabits southern part India, living in the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri highlands. Sable is an inhabitant of the Russian taiga, which occupies the territory from Pacific Ocean to the Urals.

Kharza is found on the Korean Peninsula, China, Turkey, Iran, the Himalayan foothills, Indochina, Hindustan, the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands. It is also widely represented in Pakistan, Nepal, Georgia, Afghanistan. It is also found on the territory of Russia, occupying the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, Sikhote-Alin, the Ussuri River basin and the Amur Region. The Japanese marten originally inhabits the 3 main islands of Japan - Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu. It also lives on Tsushima, in Korea, on the islands of Sado and Hokkaido. In Russia, there are mainly such types of martens as sable, pine marten, stone marten and marten.

marten habits

The physique of the marten directly affects its habits: this animal can only move stealthily or abruptly (at the time of running). The flexible body of the marten works as if elastic spring, which is why the fleeing animal only flickers for a moment in the gaps of its paws coniferous trees. The marten prefers to stay in the middle and upper forest layers. Deftly climbs trees, climbing even upright trunks, which she can do with fairly sharp claws.

The marten leads a predominantly diurnal lifestyle, hunting on the ground and spending most of the time in the trees. The marten equips housing in hollows of trees up to 16 meters high or directly in their crown. The marten not only avoids a man, but hides from him. Leads settled life without changing the chosen habitats even with a shortage of food. But occasionally it can roam after squirrels, which periodically undertake mass migrations over long distances.

In the zone of forests occupied by martens, two types of areas are distinguished: passage areas, where they are occasionally, and daily hunting areas, on which martens spend most of their time. Summer and autumn sometimes martens develop an exceptionally small part of their hunting grounds, living for a long time in places where food is most concentrated. In winter, these boundaries are greatly expanded due to lack of food, and active fattening routes appear in martens. Most often they visit places such as shelters and feeding grounds, marking them with urine.

Where does the marten live

With all its way of life, the marten is connected with the forest. It is found in many forest lands where they grow different trees, but most of all prefers spruce, pine forests and coniferous plantations close to them. In the northern regions, these are spruce-fir forests, in the southern regions, spruce-broad-leaved forests, and in the Caucasian region, fir-beech forests.

For a permanent habitat, the marten chooses cluttered areas of large forests with tall trees, old forest, which is mixed with medium-sized areas of young undergrowth, with edges long distance, and areas of forest with undergrowth and clearings. But it can also settle in flat areas, in mountain forests, where it is found in the valleys of large streams and rivers. Some varieties of marten do not avoid rocky areas and placers. They try to stay away from human habitats, penetrating into settlements only through park areas. The only exception is the stone marten, which often settles directly in cities and villages.

What does a marten eat

Martens are omnivores, but most often they eat small mammals (such as mice, voles and squirrels), birds and their eggs. They are distinguished by the fact that they are interested in rats, as a subject of hunting, which cats try to bypass due to their large size. Martens and carrion, insects, snails, frogs, reptiles do not disdain. In autumn martens willingly feed on nuts, berries and fruits. At the end of summer and throughout autumn, martens lay food in reserve, which will be useful to them in the cold season.

American marten (lat. Martes americana) is a small predatory animal from the mustelidae family (lat. Mustelidae) that lives in North America. The animal has an unusually strong, soft and beautiful fur, therefore, since the colonization of the American continent, it has undergone mass shooting. In Canada alone at the beginning of the last century, more than 200 thousand animals were mined annually.

Only in 1950, the marten was taken under state protection, and individuals imported from the United States began to be settled throughout Canada. Fortunately, the Canadian population was gradually restored, and now in some parts of the country limited shooting is allowed again.

Behavior

The American marten prefers to settle in coniferous forests. In connection with their constant cutting down, the animals have adapted to life in mixed forests with a predominance of spruce. They also took root in deciduous forests where birches, maples and beeches dominate.

The marten avoids open spaces and tries to stay away from humans.

In the forest, a nimble creature easily flees from large predators, instantly climbing trees. In addition to humans, only eagles and eagle owls can pose a significant danger to her.



 The American marten leads a solitary lifestyle, occupying a home area of ​​​​up to 10 square meters. km. The areas of males are larger than those of females. Each animal strenuously marks the boundaries of the territory it occupies with secretions of odorous glands located on the abdomen and near the anus, so violations of existing boundaries are rare.

Martens are very active and for most of their lives are in constant motion, wandering through the forest in search of food. They are especially active in summer time, hunting not only at night, but also during the day.

With the advent of twilight, the predator goes hunting, passing at least 4-6 km. She successfully hunts squirrels, hares and small rodents, tirelessly chasing the chosen victim, climbing into hollows and digging out other people's holes. Birds and bats also become its prey.

The marten enjoys eating chicks and bird eggs which, while eating, gently holds with its front paws. The diet is also supplemented with insects and earthworms. She does not disdain carrion. It eats small prey on the spot, and hides large prey in reserve. In summer, animals eat forest fruits and berries. They especially love wild apples and cherries.

During the day, the animal eats up to 120 g of food, but can do with half of its daily allowance.

The American marten is an excellent swimmer and diver. She does not have a permanent lair, so she constantly changes her place of deployment, often having dozens of temporary shelters at her disposal. She does not deal with their arrangement, being quite content with Spartan conditions and hiding in them only from bad weather and predators. In winter and in severe weather, she just sleeps there sweetly, waiting for more favorable weather.

In the cold of winter, martens often overcome their fear of humans and go under the cover of night to chicken coops, arranging bloody battles there. At the sight of defenseless chickens, the predator enters into a hunting passion and methodically kills all the birds that fall under her claws. At the same time, he always eats only one chicken and, having eaten from the belly, leaves the chicken coop with a feeling of deep satisfaction. For this reason, farmers do not like martens, to put it mildly.

reproduction

Proud loneliness in furry creatures stops in July-August with the onset mating season. Unaccommodating predators begin to look for a mate. The male takes care of the female for about two weeks. After mating, he leaves her and rushes in search of a new partner.

Fertilized eggs begin to develop in the mother's body only after 6-7 months with the advent of spring. The final stage of pregnancy lasts about 30 days. The female usually brings three cubs (rarely five or seven) at the end of March or at the beginning of April in a pre-prepared nest. Most often it is found in the hollow of a tree.

The mother feeds the babies with milk for 45 days.

The kids are developing fast. On the 40th day, their eyes open and a full set of milk teeth appears. One and a half month old puppies are distinguished by unusual playfulness and are so restless that their mother takes them to a new den on the ground in order to protect them from falling from a high tree.

At 3.5 months, young martens reach the size of an adult and leave their mother to acquire their own hunting grounds. Females become sexually mature at 2 years old, and males are ready to procreate at the age of 3 years.

Description

The body length of males reaches 35-50 cm. Females are smaller, and their body length ranges from 30 to 40 cm. Males weigh 0.7-1.5 kg, females 0.5-1.1 kg.

The body is elongated and slender. The fur is fluffy and thick, painted in various shades of brown. Ears are wide and round. There is a white border around the edges of the ears.

On the throat and chest is a creamy or yellowish spot called the shirtfront. The fluffy tail helps balance on tree branches. Its length is 10-20 cm. The narrow mouth is seated 38 sharp teeth. The paws are short with dense hair pads on the feet, making it easy to move in the snow. The claws are sharp and partially retract inward.

The life expectancy of the American marten in the wild reaches 12-15 years.

American martens are carnivorous mammals, members of the marten family. Outwardly, they resemble, differ only in large feet and a light muzzle. For life, American martens choose the old coniferous and mixed forests of Canada, Alaska, and Northern England. Due to the destruction of forests and hunting, the number of species in Lately decreased noticeably.

The American marten resembles other martens: it has a long, slender body covered with shiny brown fur. The throat is yellowish in color, the tail is long and fluffy. It has semi-stretched claws, they help it climb trees, and rather large feet, which is necessary for movement on snow-covered lands.

The fur of the American marten is soft and thick, colored from pale yellow to reddish and dark brown. The neck is pale yellow, the tail and limbs are dark brown. The muzzle is decorated with two black lines that run vertically from the eyes. The tail reaches a third of the total length of the animal. In males, the latter is 36-45 cm (tail length 15-23 cm). The weight of adults is in the range from 0.5 to 1.5 kg. Females are smaller in size, their body length is 32-40 cm, tail length is 13-20 cm, weight is 280-850 g.


The diet of the American marten consists mainly of meat. Voles, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, partridges and other small birds become its prey. In addition, martens hunt frogs, fish, insects, get bird eggs, mushrooms, seeds and honey. In winter, when there is not enough conventional food, the marten also feeds on carrion and plants.


The American marten is a native of North America. Its range begins at the northern border of the forests of Arctic Alaska and Canada and continues to the north of New Mexico. From east to west, it covers the expanse from Newfoundland to California. In Canada and Alaska, the range of this species is wide and continuous. In the western United States, the American marten is found only in certain areas, in mountain ranges.

The animal prefers coniferous and mixed forests, most often dark coniferous forests: old coniferous forests of spruce, pine and other trees.


Sexual dimorphism in the American marten is manifested in the fact that females of this species are inferior in size to males by 5-7 cm and by 0.5 kg in weight. Otherwise, there are no pronounced differences in this species.


The American marten is active early in the morning and at night. In addition to the breeding season, it leads a solitary lifestyle. Males protect their territories of about 8 km2, they can overlap on the territory of females (area about 2.5 km2). Animals make regular walks around their site, at least once a week. The area of ​​an individual site depends on the size of the body of the animal, the presence of fallen trees, the abundance and suitability of the food supply. American martens of the same sex show high aggression towards each other, especially if they meet a stranger on their territory. American martens live both settled and migrating. The latter is more typical for young individuals. With age, large males occupy the largest areas, trying to choose them so that they overlap as much as possible with the territory of females.

The marten is very agile. She easily jumps on the branches of trees, while marking the path of movement with the smell of her glands. He hunts alone, killing prey with a bite to the back of the head, after which he destroys her spinal cord and breaks the cervical vertebrae. In winter, the marten digs tunnels under the snow, in which it searches for mouse-like rodents.

To communicate with each other, American martens use characteristic sounds that sound like screams and giggles.


The breeding process of the American marten and others similar species endowed with many common features. This species is characterized by a solitary lifestyle, males and females unite in pairs only during the mating season, which lasts two months in summer (starts around July and ends at the end of August).

The American marten, along with other representatives of the marten family, is endowed with large abdominal and anal odorous glands. Animals leave their secret on logs and stones, especially actively during the breeding season.

The female and male find each other by these marks, which emit the strongest odor and were left by the anal glands. After mating, the fertilized eggs do not develop immediately, but remain dormant in the uterus for about 6-7 months. Pregnancy in a female American marten lasts about 267 days. Of these, the pregnancy itself, which begins after the latency period, lasts only two months. Cubs are born in early spring, that is, in the season that is most favorable for their growth and development. Only females are engaged in offspring, males do not take part in its upbringing and cultivation.

On next year after mating, the female gives birth to 3-4 babies, sometimes there are more, up to 7. Childbirth occurs in March-April. Before that, females have time to build nests for themselves in logs, hollow trees and other voids. The inside of the nest is lined with grass or other plant materials.

The cubs are born deaf and blind, and their weight barely reaches 25-30 g. The ears open on the 26th day of life, and after about 10 days, their eyes also open. Milk feeding of cubs lasts about 2 months. At 3-4 months, young American martens hunt with all their might together and on a par with adults. Puberty in females, it occurs at 15-24 months, but only after reaching the age of 3 years does reproduction become possible. The life expectancy of the American marten is between 10 and 15 years.

Due to the fact that the American marten is a very curious animal, it often finds itself in unpleasant situations, namely, traps and traps. natural enemies this species does not. Juveniles are attacked by owls and large carnivores such as wolves. The threat to the American marten is the hunting of people and the destruction of forests - natural environment her habitat. Therefore, recently the species has been taken under protection in many countries; hunting is prohibited for it.


  • The American marten is hunted by man in order to obtain its fur. In addition, large-scale logging has negatively affected the population size. Today, the species is rare; measures are being taken to restore the population in US reserves. In addition, the American marten can be tamed and kept at home, which can serve as a guarantee for the preservation of the species in the future.
  • The American marten is the most dexterous climber of all members of the marten family. This animal is capable of covering a distance of 25 km in one day. At the same time, it manages to make about 30,000 jumps, each 60 cm long.