Marten

Martes americana

by Megan

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Martes
Species: Martes americana

Physical Description

Martens are in the weasel family, and look similar to a ferret. Their fur is long, thick, soft and shiny, protecting them against cold winters. Their head is usually grayish brown, and their legs and tail are very dark brown, or black. Their ears and eyes are cat-like. Their chest has a cream colored patch, and their back is light brown. Their body is long and slender, allowing them to move quickly.

Diet and Feeding Habits

Martens are usually carnivorous, but during certain times of the year they eat plants. They hunt on the ground, although they prefer to live in trees. They mostly eat mice and other small rodents, but they also eat: hares, squirrels, shrews, birds, bird eggs, fish, insects, reptiles, amphibians, nuts, fruits, wild berries, crayfish and carrion. If they catch more than they can eat, martens hide their food and come back for it later, similar to a squirrel. Martens mainly use their ears and noses to find food

Reproduction

Breeding season for martens comes in either June or August. The females show they are ready to breed by making scented markings in their territory. Males may mate with several females in one year. The baby martens, called kits, are born anywhere from late March to early April. One to five kits are in a litter, and they are blind until five weeks after their birth.

Habitat

Martens are found in northern forests, also called Conifer Forests, consisting of Pines, Firs, Spruce, Birch and Aspen. Martens are mainly found in parts of New York state, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, Wisconsin, Alaska, Canada and parts of Northern Europe. They are originally from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and parts of Alaska. Martens like to den in hollow trees, crevices, and vacant ground burrows.

Role in the Ecosystem

There are three different types of consumers in an Ecosystem. An herbivore is an animal that eats only plants, such as a horse or cow. A carnivore is an animal that eats only meat, like a lion. A marten is an omnivore, which means they eat both plants and meat. A marten is both a predator and a prey. This means that martens hunt other animals for food, and other animals eat it for food. Martens have a wide selection of prey, meaning they eat many different animals, but have only a few predators. Fishers, Coyotes, Lynx, and Mountain Lions are a marten's main predators. People also used to hunt marten's for their fur, rapidly decreasing their population. Sometimes Eagles or Great Horned Owls prey on the babies if they're able to catch them.
Some niches, or adaptations, that martens have are: sharp claws for climbing trees, large ears and eyes to see and hear their prey/predator, extra fur grows on their feet to keep them warm during winter, and their body shape allows them to move quickly and squeeze into small places.

Bibliography

http://www.on.ec.ca/wildlife/wildspace/life.cfm?id=MART&page=image&Lang=e
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/martes.html
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/factsheets/mammals/marten.htm
Book of mammals, National Geographic Society
http://unbf.ca/forestrykenters/cwru/soe/marten.htm.marysec.bpurgeois