Marten - Sierra Club BC
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Marten

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Marten

Martes americana

Appearance

Martens are part of the weasel family and they have coats that can range from pale yellow to blackish-brown with an orange patch that appears on their throat in winter. They have short legs, a narrow body with a pointed nose, and males are usually larger than females.

Range & Habitat

Martens are found throughout Canada and the Northern US, although populations have dwindled or disappeared in Eastern Canada. They prefer old-growth forests and usually make their dens in hollow trees.

Diet & Behaviour

Martens are predators that feed mainly on rodents such as voles, mice, shrews, hares, and squirrels. They also eat carrion, bird and reptile eggs, and forage for berries. Young martens are preyed by carnivores like wolves or owls.

Martens have the gift of agility! They are quick creatures, with sharp nails and strong arms. They have a keen hunting sense and tend to hunt alone with a quite diverse omnivorous diet. Due to their ability to eat many different things, they help balance ecosystem dynamics.

Martens usually have litter of three kits, but they can have up to six kits at once. These curious creatures mate in late July to early August, but don’t give birth to their young until March or April, which is a long time for such a small animal to be pregnant! 

Martens are mainly threatened by habitat and food loss (especially because of logging), disease, and, in the past, by over-trapping for their fur.

Marten pelts are important for many First Nations and would be used to make robes for the Tlingit.  

Status

COSEWIC: Not Reported (Newfoundland population: Special Concern) 
CDC: Yellow 

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.

Photo Credit

Canva

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