Marten

Size

Females are seldom more than three-quarters as large, but a big male American Marten will be 20 or so inches long and weigh around 2 ½ pounds (a good ten pounds less than a big male fisher). Its big eyes, large pointed ears, and other facial features make the marten look somewhat like a bushy tailed house-cat. And like a house-cat, this lithe, quick, and curious animal has sharp teeth, good claws, and marvelous hunting skills.

Food

Their diet consists of squirrels, mice, rabbits, birds, fish, insects, and eggs, and they will also eat fruit and nuts when these are available.

Habitation

Martens are wilderness and backcountry animals that prefer dense old-growth coniferous or mixed deciduous forests that have some cavities in the trees and plenty of fallen logs, coarse woody debris, and dead foliage on the forest floor. The debris and decaying matter play an important part in martens’ lives, since it harbors the prey that they prefer.