American marten (Martes americana)Eng. American marten, Pine marten, American sable

American marten - M. americana Turton, 1806 (Area: northern part of North America - Alaska, except the southwestern part with the Alaska Peninsula and the coast of the Beaufort Sea; Canadian provinces - Yukon, Mackenzie, except the northeast, British Columbia with the archipelago Alexandra, Queen Charlotte Island and Vancouver Island, northern half and a narrow strip of the southwest Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, except the northwest, Newfoundland with Newfoundland Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Island Edward; US states - Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, New York, northern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, Michigan, extreme northeastern Illinois, Wisconsin, except southwest, northern half of Minnesota, extreme northeastern North Dakota, western third of Montana, northern half and southeastern Idaho, northwest and southern Wyoming, northeastern Utah, western half of Colorado, northern central regions New Mexico, western half, northern and southeastern Washington, western third and northeastern Oregon, northern half of California).

The American marten is found throughout much of Canada, reaching as far south as Nevada and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and California. The American marten is confined to dark coniferous forests and was previously widespread in the USA and Canada, but was subjected to severe extermination and only Lately began to restore its numbers.

Within its range, the marten prefers mature coniferous forests of pine, spruce and other trees. These old forests have an abundance of fallen and rotting trees and logs, which are excellent places for building nests and provide martens with varied and reliable shelters. A new study has shown that the marten can live successfully in younger and mixed forests of different ages. They prefer stands with a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees, including white pine, yellow birch, maple, fir and spruce.

The American marten has a small, fluffy and elongated body. Males usually have a body length between 55 and 68 cm, and females - between 49 and 60 cm, of which the tail accounts for 16 to 24 cm, and average weight martens range between 0.5 and 1.5 kg. The American marten has short legs with large paws; each has five fingers. They also have big eyes, cat ears, and curved, sharp claws that are well adapted for climbing trees. The fur is long and shiny. American martens have bushy tails that make up one third of their total length. The body shape resembles a sable, and it is quite possible that it is just a subspecies of our sable, which has coarser and less valuable fur.

The main tone of its fur is brown, and in some individuals the fur can be colored from dark red to very light Brown. The muzzle and underparts are usually much lighter in color, the legs and tail are dark brown or black, and the chest has a cream colored patch.

The marten is primarily a nocturnal mammal, but is often active during the twilight hours (morning and evening), and often during the day when prey with daytime activity is abundant.

Martens are very agile and jump from branch to branch in trees, marking their paths with the smell of their glands. They are usually solitary hunters. It is well adapted to climbing trees, where it catches squirrels in nests at night.

Often their cute and pleasant faces create the false impression that the marten is a tame and obedient animal, but this is far from the case. In fact, the marten is a very effective predator. The marten kills its prey with a bite to the back of the head, crushing the cervical vertebrae and destroying the victim's spinal cord. In winter, martens tunnel under the snow in search of mouse-like rodents.

The American marten consumes a wide range of foods, although they eat mostly meat. They are ready to eat any animal they can catch. It feeds on red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), also rabbits, chipmunks, mice, voles, partridges and other small birds and their eggs, fish, frogs, insects, honey, mushrooms, and seeds. When food, like rabbits, is scarce during the winter, the marten can eat almost anything that is somehow edible, including plant matter and carrion. This species can be considered an enemy of game animals, such as gray and fox squirrels and rabbits.

The American marten has well-developed large anal and abdominal scent glands, which are characteristic of all representatives of the mustelid family. They leave the secretion of odorous glands on stones and logs, especially actively during the mating season.

The reproductive biology of the American marten is similar to that of other species of this genus. Males and females communicate with each other only during two months - July and August, when the rut occurs; for the rest of the year they lead a solitary lifestyle. The male and female find each other using strong scent marks left by the anal glands. After mating, fertilized eggs do not develop immediately, but remain dormant in the uterus for 6-7 months. Pregnancy lasts an average of 267 days. The actual pregnancy after this latent period is only 2 months, and everything is aimed at ensuring that the young are born in early spring– in the most favorable period. The male does not take any part in caring for the young.

During March or April next year females give birth to up to 7 cubs (average 3-4), which are located in nests lined with grass and other plant material. Nests are usually located in hollow trees or logs or other voids. Juveniles are blind and deaf at birth and weigh approximately 25-30 g. Babies' ears open after 26 days, and their eyes open after 39 days. They are weaned at 2 months, and can obtain food for themselves at the age of 3-4 months.

Young females usually mature at 15-24 months, but they do not bear young until they are three years old.

The marten is well adapted to life in trees. They are exceptional climbers and can even climb down a tree trunk, upside down. This seems a little strange, since they spend most of their time hunting on the surface of the earth. Martens have a great appetite and they are very curious, which is why they can sometimes get into trouble for themselves by falling into traps and various traps. They live up to 10-15 years. There are no known predators, although young martens may be attacked by owls and large carnivores (such as wolves).

Males are territorial, defending a territory of up to three square miles. The territory of females is smaller and does not exceed 0.5 - 1.0 square miles. Martens generally completely cover their territory every 8-10 days as they hunt here. Neither males nor females will tolerate another American marten of the same sex in their territory, and they are very aggressive towards them. American martens sometimes use vocalizations (described by eyewitnesses as giggling and screaming) to communicate.

The size of an individual territory is variable and depends on a number of factors. Body size, suitability and food abundance, availability fallen trees These are just some of the factors that determine how large a marten's hunting territory will be.

Martens weight or body size - most important factor for many reasons. Large home plot requires large quantity energy for examination and its protection. A large marten is better suited for this. The suitability and availability of sufficient quantities of food is also a critical factor. The marten must regulate the size of their home range so that there is enough food and that it is not difficult to maintain it efficiently. The number of fallen trees and hollow logs on their property also has important role in determining its size. These trees provide them with shelter and places to hunt, especially in winter.

Males have large home ranges and are more territorial than females. Males move (change) the boundaries of their territory, trying to occupy the best area, especially areas with females living on them.

Tagging of the animals showed that some of them live sedentary, while others are nomadic. The latter, in particular, include young animals that have become independent.

The marten is shot for its valuable fur. American martens can make playful pets if they are raised and fed from an early age.

The animals are most active in the early morning, late afternoon and at night. Outside the mating season, they lead a reclusive lifestyle. Males defend their territories, which are about 8 square kilometers in size, which overlap with the females' territories, which are about 2.5 square kilometers in size. There is a lot of aggression between animals of the same sex. Tagged animals showed that some live sedentary, while others are nomadic. Nomads usually include young animals that have become independent.

Martens are very agile. They easily jump through trees from branch to branch, marking their paths of movement with the smell of their glands. The abdominal and anal scent glands are well developed and are characteristic feature for all representatives of the mustelid family. These predators are also well adapted to climbing trees, where they catch squirrels in their nests at night. They hunt alone. These animals kill their prey with a bite to the back of the head, destroying the spinal cord and breaking the victim’s cervical vertebrae. In winter, predators dig tunnels under the snow to search for mouse-like rodents. They also willingly eat rabbits, chipmunks, partridges, frogs, fish, insects, carrion and even fruits and vegetables.

The American marten is similar to other martens - it has a long, slim body covered in sparkling, brownish fur. The throat is yellowish, the tail is long and bushy. Similar to cats, it has semi-extended claws that make it easier to climb trees, as well as relatively large feet, suitable in snowier areas.

The habitat of American martens is dark coniferous forests: old coniferous forests of spruce, pine and other trees, as well as forest stands with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, including white pine, spruce, birch, maple and fir.

Mating in American martens occurs in the summer - in July and August. The male and female find each other thanks to scent marks left by the anal glands. Fertilized eggs do not develop immediately, but remain in the uterus for another 6-7 months in a dormant state, after which the pregnancy lasts 2 months. For childbirth, females prepare a nest lined with grass and other plant materials. Such nests are located in logs, hollow trees or other voids. The female gives birth to up to 7 cubs (usually 3-4). Newborns are deaf and blind, weighing only 25-30 grams. The eyes open on the 39th day, and the ears after the 26th. Lactation lasts no more than 2 months. At 3-4 months. kids can get their own food. They reach puberty at 15-24 months, and the birth of cubs is usually at 3 years. Males do not take any part in raising offspring.

American marten (lat. Martes americana) is a small predatory animal from the Mustelidae family (lat. Mustelidae), living in North America. The animal has unusually durable, soft and beautiful fur, so since the colonization of the American continent it has been subjected to mass shooting. In Canada alone, at the beginning of the last century, more than 200 thousand animals were hunted annually.

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

Behavior

The American marten prefers to settle in coniferous forests. Due to their constant cutting down, animals have adapted to life in mixed forests with a predominance of spruces. They have also taken 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 escapes from large predators, instantly climbing the trees. Besides humans, only eagles and eagle owls can pose a significant danger to it.

The American marten leads a solitary lifestyle, occupying a home range of up to 10 square meters. km. The males' areas are larger than the females' areas. Each animal intensively 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 spend most of their lives in constant motion, wandering through the forest in search of food. They are particularly active in summer time, hunting not only at night, but also during the day.

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

The marten happily feasts on chicks and bird eggs, which it carefully holds with its front paws while eating. 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.

The animal eats up to 120 g of food per day, but can get by with half its daily requirement.

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

In the winter cold, martens often overcome their fear of humans and go to chicken coops under the cover of darkness, staging bloody massacres there. At the sight of defenseless chickens, the predator gets excited about the hunt and methodically kills all the birds that fall under her claws. At the same time, he always eats only one chicken and, having eaten his fill, leaves the chicken coop with a feeling of deep satisfaction. For this reason, farmers do not like martens, to put it mildly.

Reproduction

The proud loneliness of furry creatures ends in July-August with the beginning of the mating season. Uncooperative predators begin to look for a mate. The male courts the female for about two weeks. After mating, he abandons 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 arrival of spring. The final stage of pregnancy lasts about 30 days. The female usually brings three cubs (rarely five to seven) at the end of March or early April in a pre-prepared nest. Most often it is found in a hollow tree.

The mother feeds the babies with milk for 45 days.

Kids develop quickly. On the 40th day, their eyes open and a full set of baby teeth appears. The one-and-a-half-month-old puppies are unusually playful and so restless that their mother takes them to a new den on the ground to protect them from falling from a tall 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, and males are ready to reproduce 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, colored in various shades of brown. The ears are wide and round. There is a white border along the edges of the ears.

There is a cream or yellowish patch on the throat and chest called the bib. The bushy tail helps balance on tree branches. Its length is 10-20 cm. The narrow mouth is lined with 38 sharp teeth. The paws are short with dense hair pads on the feet, allowing them to move easily in the snow. The claws are sharp and partially retractable.

Life expectancy of the American marten wildlife reaches 12-15 years.

American marten ( Latin name– Martes americana) – enough rare representative family of mustelids.

This small predator can be found in the forests of Canada, the USA and Alaska. Previously, the American marten was much more numerous, but due to the value of its skin for humans, its populations were significantly reduced.

This is also influenced by the disappearance of the forests themselves where the marten lives. Currently, animal rights activists and biologists are working to restore population numbers in US nature reserves.

Appearance of the American marten

The American marten is similar to the pine marten. And the body shape resembles. But it differs from the latter in having stiffer fur, and from the pine marten in having wider feet and a lighter muzzle.

The marten has a long (from 50 to 70 centimeters), very flexible body. The special beauty of this predator is its fluffy tail, which makes up a third of its entire length.

The paws are short, five-fingered, they end in curved sharp claws that help the predator climb trees and get food. The marten's eyes are dark, large, and shiny. The ears are also quite large, rounded at the top. Males are larger than females. The weight of martens ranges from 500 grams to one and a half kilograms.

The marten is a small furry animal.

The coat is shiny and long. The main color of the fur is brown, but in different individuals it can vary from light brown to dark red. The belly and face of the animal are usually lighter than the back. On the chest there is a small area with cream fur. The legs and tail are dark brown or almost black. Two thin black lines descend from the eyes to the nose.

Marten lifestyle

American martens prefer dark coniferous forests - dense, with many fallen trees in which the marten can hide and which are ideal for its nest. However, these martens are also found in mixed forests, although rarely. They lead a solitary lifestyle. They hunt mainly at night, at dusk or in the pre-dawn hours. Can hunt during the day. This predator is extremely agile; it easily moves through trees and jumps from branch to branch.

But the skill of a dart frog was not developed by martens in order to get their food in the trees, since martens hunt mainly on the ground. But from a height, firstly, the prey is more visible, and secondly, the predator itself is less noticeable to the prey. Peak activity is observed in the marten in the pre-dawn hours, when victims emerge from their burrows in search of food.

Listen to the voice of the American marten

The marten hunts mice, rabbits, and small birds. Moreover, in search of voles, the marten can build long tunnels under the snow. The marten usually kills its prey with a lightning-fast bite to the neck or back of the head, breaking its backbone.

The marten is a predatory animal.

The marten can also swim, including underwater. There she also catches prey - frogs, fish. If there is a hungry year, the marten does not disdain even carrion and plant foods. Can feast on seeds, mushrooms and even honey.

Each marten has its own hunting grounds, which it completely bypasses approximately once every 10 days. The area of ​​an individual territory depends on the abundance of food, the presence of fallen trees and the size of the animal itself. When meeting strangers - other martens encroaching on their territory, American martens mercilessly drive them out, entering into battle. Young individuals, in order to find rich places for hunting that are not occupied by adult individuals, can wander over fairly large distances.

The enemies of the American marten are, first of all, people who cut down forests and destroy the martens themselves for their skins. But martens can also become victims of larger predatory mammals and birds. In addition, the marten’s enemy is often its own curiosity, thanks to which it falls into traps and traps placed on other animals.

The lifespan of a marten is approximately 10-15 years.

Reproduction of the American marten

The rutting period for the American marten lasts for two months. At this time, males, usually living alone, meet with females. The other half of the marten is found by smell, leaving special marks using secretions secreted from the anal glands. Predators communicate with each other using sharp sounds and screams reminiscent of giggling.

Interestingly, after mating, fertilized embryos begin to develop only after 6-7 months of so-called latent pregnancy. The development of the embryos itself lasts for two months. After the act of mating and fertilization, embryos do not develop immediately, but only after 6-7 months. Thus, the total gestation period is about 267 days.

Puppies are born in March-April. As a rule, 3-4 of them are born, but in rare cases there are up to seven in a litter. The father does not take part in raising the offspring. In order to give birth and hatch offspring, female martens make nests in fallen trees, hollow logs, lining the bottom with soft grass.

The American marten is a master of long runs.

Puppies are born blind and deaf, weighing only about 30 grams. After a month, their eyes open and their ears begin to distinguish sounds. Cubs feed on mother's milk for two months. Then the mother begins to bring them animal food and teaches them to hunt. By four months, puppies are already able to get their own food.

The American marten is capable of walking up to 25 kilometers per day, while making about 30 thousand jumps of about 60 centimeters, both on the ground and in trees.

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The American marten is a predatory animal of the mustelidae family, its Latin name is Martes americana. Lives in dark coniferous forests, where spruce and pine predominate, but also occurs in mixed forests. Geographical range distribution - Alaska, Canada and the USA.

Destruction of forests and extermination of martens by humans have significantly reduced the number of individuals. Now the American marten is one of the rare species. In US nature reserves, work is underway to restore the animal's population.

Appearance

Externally, the American marten is similar to another species of marten - the pine marten, but differs in its lighter muzzle color and wide feet.

This is a small slender animal with long body and a bushy tail, making up about a third of the animal’s total length. The ears are small and rounded, the nose is prominent, and the eyes are large. The marten's paws are short, the claws are sharp, curved, and are well adapted for climbing trees. Body length (including tail) - 55-70 cm, weight - 0.5 - 1.5 kg. Males are heavier and larger than females.

The fur is long and shiny, its color is brown with a dark red or light brown tint. The muzzle and abdomen are of a lighter shade, the tail and paws are black or brown. There is a creamy light spot on the chest.

Lifestyle

American martens are solitary animals that are nocturnal and twilight image life. They are very agile and climb trees with great speed, easily jumping from branch to branch.

However, martens find most of their prey on the ground: moving through trees allows them to remain unnoticed by rodents and other small animals living below. The peak of hunting activity occurs in the pre-dawn and morning hours, when potential victims also show signs of intense activity, emerging from their holes in search of food.

American martens are excellent swimmers and swim quickly not only on the surface, but also under water.

Martens hunt squirrels, mice, chipmunks, and rabbits. They usually attack their victims from behind and kill them with a lightning-fast bite to the back of the head, breaking the victim's spine.

In addition to mammals, martens hunt partridges, amphibians, reptiles, insects and fish, and sometimes eat carrion. Fruits and vegetables are also included in her diet. Martens are very voracious and very curious, which is often the reason they fall into traps and traps set for other animals - for example, rabbits.

Each marten has its own hunting territory. The animal walks around the property approximately every 10 days. American martens do not tolerate strangers in their area; when meeting representatives of their own species, they show aggression and engage in battle. Young individuals can roam long distances in search of the best territory in terms of food.

The enemies of the American marten are people, and to a lesser extent - large carnivorous mammals and birds.

Reproduction

Males meet with females only for 2 months a year - in July and August, during the rutting period. Individuals of the opposite sex find each other using scent marks, which are left through the secretion of the anal glands. Martens communicate using sharp sounds reminiscent of giggling.

After the act of mating and fertilization, embryos do not develop immediately, but only after 6-7 months. After latent pregnancy, the development of the embryo lasts another 2 months. The male does not take any part in raising the cubs.

The female builds a nest for childbirth, the bottom of which is lined with grass. Usually the nest is well hidden from prying eyes in tree hollows or the cavities of old stumps. Usually 3-4 blind and deaf puppies are born, weighing 30 grams. Their ears and eyes open only after a month; milk feeding lasts until 2 months of age. At 4 months, American marten cubs can already obtain food on their own.

The American marten feeds on its feet and travels about 25 km a day. To do this, she needs to make about 30 thousand jumps about 60 cm long on the ground and in trees. Their dexterity is reminiscent of that of a monkey - they are the most agile climber among the mustelidae family.