marten

marten, (genus Martes), any of eight species of weasel-like carnivores of the genus Martes (family Mustelidae), found in Canada and parts of the United States and in the Old World from Europe to the Russian Far East, Taiwan, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Differing in size and coloration according to species, they have lithe slender bodies, short legs, rounded ears, bushy tails, and soft thick coats that are valuable in the fur trade. Martens are forest-dwelling and usually solitary. They climb easily and feed rapaciously on animals, fruit, and carrion. A litter contains one to five young; the gestation period, especially in northern areas, may last 290 days or more because of a delay before implantation of the fertilized egg in the wall of the uterus.

Animals commonly called “marten” but better known by other names include the fisher (Pekania pennanti; also called Pennant’s, big, or fisher marten) and the foul marten, or polecat (Mustela putorius).

The best known species of Martes are the following:

The American marten (M. americana) is a North American species that inhabits northern wooded regions from Alaska to Newfoundland and Labrador. It is also called the pine marten. Its fur is sometimes sold as American, or Hudson Bay, sable. Its adult length is 35–43 cm (14–17 inches), exclusive of the 18–23-cm (7–9-inch) tail. It weighs 1–2 kg (about 2–4 pounds) and has a yellowish brown coat deepening to dark brown on the tail and legs, with a pale whitish or yellowish throat patch.

The pine marten (M. martes) of European and Central Asian forests is also called the European marten and, less commonly, baum marten and sweet marten. It has a dark brown coat with an undivided yellowish throat patch. Its head-and-body length is 42–52 cm (about 16.5–20.5 inches), with a 22–27-cm (about 9–11-inch) long tail. Its shoulder height is 15 cm (about 6 inches), and its weight is 1–2 kg (2.2–4.4 pounds).

The stone marten, or beech marten (M. foina), inhabits wooded country in Eurasia from Spain eastward to northern China. It has grayish brown fur with a divided white throat bib. It weighs 1–2.5 kg (about 2–5.5 pounds), is 42–48 cm (16.5–19 inches) long, and stands 12 cm (roughly 5 inches) high at the shoulder.

The yellow-throated marten (M. flavigula), of the subgenus Charronia, is also called the harza. It is found in southern Asia. Its head-and-body length is 56–61 cm (22–24 inches), and its tail is 38–43 cm (15–17 inches) long. It has a brown coat that darkens toward and on the tail, and its throat and chin are orange.

The Nilgiri marten (M. gwatkinsii) is similar to the yellow-throated marten. However, it is slightly longer on average, and the throat patch ranges in colour from yellow to orange. Its body length extends from 55 to 65 cm (22 to 26 inches), with a tail that ranges from 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 inches) long. The Nilgiri marten is endemic to India’s Western Ghats.

The International Union of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) considers nearly all martens to be species of least concern. However, the IUCN lists the Nilgiri marten as a vulnerable species. After many years of falling population numbers because of deforestation and bounty hunting, the IUCN notes that the rate of population decline has slowed considerably as India has added measures to protect the species.