22 Facts About American marten

American marten, known as the American pine marten, is a species of North American mammal, a member of the family Mustelidae.

The name "pine American marten" is derived from the common name of the distinct Eurasian species, Martes martes.

Identification of the American marten is further eased by a characteristic bib that is a distinctly different color than the body.

Pacific American marten was formerly thought to be conspecific, but genetic studies support both being distinct species from one another.

The American marten's distribution is vast and continuous in Canada and Alaska.

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Over time, the distribution of American marten has contracted and expanded regionally, with local extirpations and successful recolonizations occurring in the Great Lakes region and some parts of the Northeast.

The American marten has been reintroduced in several areas where extinction occurred, although in some cases it has instead been introduced into the range of the Pacific marten.

Several translocations of American marten have been made without regard to the Pacific marten, threatening the latter species.

American marten is a long, slender-bodied weasel about the size of a mink with relatively large, rounded ears, short limbs, and a bushy tail.

American marten usually have a characteristic throat and chest bib ranging in color from pale straw to vivid orange.

American marten have limited body-fat reserves, experience high mass-specific heat loss, and have limited fasting endurance.

In south-central Alaska, American marten were more active in autumn than in late winter and early spring .

In south-central Alaska, American marten were nocturnal in autumn, with strong individual variability in diel activity in late winter.

Snowy habitat in many parts of the range of the American marten provides thermal protection and opportunities for foraging and resting.

Where deep snow accumulates, American marten prefer cover types that prevent snow from packing hard and have structures near the ground that provide access to subnivean sites.

Adult American marten are generally solitary except during the breeding season.

American marten are opportunistic predators, influenced by local and seasonal abundance and availability of potential prey.

Diet is generally more diverse in with the American marten's distribution compared to Pacific marten's, though there is high diversity in the Pacific states.

American marten are vulnerable to predation from raptors and other carnivores.

Fur of the American marten is shiny and luxuriant, resembling that of the closely related sable .

American marten are trapped for their fur in all but a few states and provinces where they occur.

American marten are particularly vulnerable to trapping mortality in industrial forests.