In which natural zone does the American marten live? American marten

American marten (lat. Martes americana) – small predatory animal from the Mustelidae family (lat. Mustelidae), living in North America. The animal has unusually durable, soft and beautiful fur, so since the colonization of the American continent it has been subjected to mass shooting. In Canada alone, at the beginning of the last century, more than 200 thousand animals were hunted annually.

Only in 1950, the marten was taken under state protection, and individuals brought from the United States began to be resettled throughout Canada. Fortunately, the Canadian population was gradually restored, and limited shooting is now allowed again in some areas of the country.

Behavior

The American marten prefers to settle in coniferous forests. Due to their constant cutting down, animals have adapted to life in mixed forests with a predominance of spruces. They have also taken root in deciduous forests, where birches, maples and beeches dominate.

Marten avoids open spaces and tries to stay away from the person.

In the forest, a nimble creature easily escapes from large predators, instantly climbing the trees. Besides humans, only eagles and eagle owls can pose a significant danger to it.

The American marten leads a solitary lifestyle, occupying a home range of up to 10 square meters. km. The males' areas are larger than the females' areas. Each animal intensively marks the boundaries of the territory it occupies with secretions of odorous glands located on the abdomen and near the anus, so violations of existing boundaries are rare.

Martens are very active and spend most of their lives in constant movement wandering through the forest in search of food. They are particularly active in summer time, hunting not only at night, but also during the day.

With the arrival of twilight, the predator goes hunting, walking at least 4-6 km. She successfully hunts squirrels, hares and small rodents, tirelessly pursuing her chosen prey, climbing into hollows and digging up other people's holes. Birds and birds also become its prey. bats.

The marten enjoys feasting on chicks and bird eggs, which it carefully holds with its front paws while eating. The diet is also supplemented with insects and earthworms. She does not disdain carrion. It eats small prey on the spot, and hides large prey in reserve. In summer, animals eat forest fruits and berries. They especially love wild apples and cherries.

The animal eats up to 120 g of food per day, but can get by with half its daily requirement.

The American marten is an excellent swimmer and diver. She does not have a permanent lair, so she constantly changes her location, often having dozens of temporary shelters at her disposal. She is not involved in their arrangement, being quite content with the Spartan conditions and hiding in them only from bad weather and predators. In winter and in severe bad weather, she simply sleeps there sweetly, waiting for more favorable weather.

In the winter cold, martens often overcome their fear of humans and go to chicken coops under the cover of darkness, staging bloody massacres there. At the sight of defenseless chickens, the predator gets excited about the hunt and methodically kills all the birds that fall under her claws. At the same time, he always eats only one chicken and, having eaten his fill, leaves the chicken coop with a feeling of deep satisfaction. For this reason, farmers do not like martens, to put it mildly.

Reproduction

The proud loneliness of furry creatures ends in July-August with the beginning mating season. Uncooperative predators begin to look for a mate. The male courts the female for about two weeks. After mating, he abandons her and rushes in search of a new partner.

Fertilized eggs begin to develop in the mother's body only after 6-7 months with the arrival of spring. The final stage of pregnancy lasts about 30 days. The female usually brings three cubs (rarely five to seven) at the end of March or early April in a pre-prepared nest. Most often it is found in a hollow tree.

The mother feeds the babies with milk for 45 days.

Kids develop quickly. On the 40th day, their eyes open and a full set of baby teeth appears. One and a half month old puppies are distinguished by extraordinary playfulness and are so restless that their mother takes them to a new den on the ground to protect them from falling from the ground. tall tree.

At 3.5 months, young martens reach the size of an adult and leave their mother to acquire their own hunting grounds. Females become sexually mature at 2 years, and males are ready to reproduce at the age of 3 years.

Description

The body length of males reaches 35-50 cm. Females are smaller, and their body length ranges from 30 to 40 cm. Males weigh 0.7-1.5 kg, females 0.5-1.1 kg.

The body is elongated and slender. The fur is fluffy and thick, colored in various shades brown. The ears are wide and round. There is a white border along the edges of the ears.

There is a cream or yellowish patch on the throat and chest called the bib. The fluffy tail helps balance on tree branches. Its length is 10-20 cm. The narrow mouth is seated 38 sharp teeth. The paws are short with dense hair pads on the feet, allowing them to move easily in the snow. The claws are sharp and partially retractable.

Life expectancy of the American marten wildlife reaches 12-15 years.

The American marten is a predatory animal of the mustelidae family, its Latin name is Martes americana. It lives in dark coniferous forests, where spruce and pine predominate, but is also found in mixed forests. Geographical distribution area: Alaska, Canada and the USA.

Destruction of forests and extermination of martens by humans have significantly reduced the number of individuals. Now the American marten is one of the rare species. In US nature reserves, work is underway to restore the animal's population.

Appearance

Externally, the American marten is similar to another species of marten - the pine marten, but differs in its lighter muzzle color and wide feet.

This is a small slender animal with long body and a bushy tail, making up about a third of the animal’s total length. The ears are small and rounded, the nose is prominent, and the eyes are large. The marten's paws are short, the claws are sharp, curved, and are well adapted for climbing trees. Body length (including tail) - 55-70 cm, weight - 0.5 - 1.5 kg. Males are heavier and larger than females.

The fur is long and shiny, its color is brown with a dark red or light brown tint. The muzzle and abdomen are of a lighter shade, the tail and paws are black or brown. There is a creamy light spot on the chest.

Lifestyle

American martens are solitary animals that are nocturnal and twilight image life. They are very agile and with high speed climb trees, easily jumping from branch to branch.

However, martens find most of their prey on the ground: moving through trees allows them to remain unnoticed by rodents and other small animals living below. The peak of hunting activity occurs in the predawn and morning hours, when potential victims also show signs of intense activity, emerging from their holes in search of food.

American martens are excellent swimmers and swim quickly not only on the surface, but also under water.

Martens hunt squirrels, mice, chipmunks, and rabbits. They usually attack their victims from behind and kill them with a lightning-fast bite to the back of the head, breaking the victim's spine.

In addition to mammals, martens hunt partridges, amphibians, reptiles, insects and fish, and sometimes eat carrion. Fruits and vegetables are also included in her diet. Martens are very voracious and very curious, which is often the reason they get caught in traps set for other animals - for example, rabbits.

Each marten has its own hunting territory. The animal walks around the property approximately every 10 days. American martens do not tolerate strangers in their area; when meeting representatives of their own species, they show aggression and engage in battle. Young individuals can roam long distances in search of the best territory in terms of food.

The enemies of the American marten are people, and to a lesser extent, large predatory mammals and birds.

Reproduction

Males meet with females only for 2 months a year - in July and August, during the rutting period. Individuals of the opposite sex find each other using scent marks, which are left through the secretion of the anal glands. Martens communicate using sharp sounds reminiscent of giggling.

After the act of mating and fertilization, embryos do not develop immediately, but only after 6-7 months. After latent pregnancy, the development of the embryo lasts another 2 months. The male does not take any part in raising the cubs.

The female builds a nest for childbirth, the bottom of which is lined with grass. Usually the nest is well hidden from prying eyes in tree hollows or cavities of old stumps. Usually 3-4 blind and deaf puppies are born, weighing 30 grams. Their ears and eyes open only after a month, dairy nutrition lasts up to 2 months of age. At 4 months, American marten cubs can already obtain food on their own.

The American marten feeds on its feet and travels about 25 km a day. To do this, she needs to make about 30 thousand jumps about 60 cm long on the ground and in trees. Their agility is reminiscent of a monkey - they are the most agile climber among the mustelid family.

Marten- a small predatory animal that does not have many enemies in nature. She instantly escapes from a lynx, cougar, coyote or fox by climbing a tree, although sometimes she becomes the prey of an eagle or eagle owl. The main threat to its existence is human activity.

HABITAT

The American marten most readily settles in coniferous forests North America, where there is always a reliable shelter for her and a generous table is laid in the form of all kinds of forest rodents. However, under the onslaught of civilization, coniferous tracts are steadily shrinking, and the marten had to adapt to new natural conditions. She has successfully developed mixed forests, where spruce trees predominate in the forest stand, as well as deciduous forests, where maples, beeches and birches dominate. The American marten avoids open spaces and proximity to humans.

LIFESTYLE

The marten leads a solitary lifestyle, occupying a home plot ranging from 4 to 10 square meters. km. As a rule, the hunting grounds of the male are larger than those of the female, and often they partially coincide with the areas of neighboring females. However, despite the close proximity of the properties, their owners are very rare. The marten regularly marks the boundaries of its territory with secretions of odorous glands located on the abdomen and near the anus. She spends her entire life in tireless wanderings through the forest, being especially active in the summer. The marten usually goes out hunting in the evening twilight, but in summer time also trades during the day. To get lunch or dinner, she has to walk at least 4-5 km. Not disdaining plant food, the marten is primarily a strong and energetic predator and in the taiga is one of the best earners. She successfully hunts small rodents, hares and squirrels, tirelessly pursuing her favorite prey, climbing into hollows and digging other people's holes. Birds and bats are often its victims; she is not averse to feasting on chicks and drinks bird eggs, carefully holding them with her front paws. The marten is not inferior to squirrels in its dexterity and speed of movement in the treetops. On occasion, it feeds with appetite on insects, earthworms and even carrion. After a successful hunt, she eats small prey on the spot, and hides large prey in reserve so that she can later return and eat the leftovers. In summer, the marten's diet is supplemented with fruits and berries: wild apples, blackberries and cherries. The marten is an excellent swimmer and diver. She does not have a permanent den - most shelters are temporary, and she does not arrange them, hiding in them only from bad weather and predators. The marten never occupies the same dwelling for a long time. In winter and during severe bad weather, she sleeps peacefully in her den for most of the day.

SECURITY

Unfortunately, the marten is the owner of a very beautiful, durable and valuable fur. The huge demand for marten skins led to the mass extermination of these animals. Until 1914, about 200 thousand martens were hunted annually in Canada, which led to the almost complete destruction of their population. Since 1950, the state has taken the American marten under strict protection and began resettling animals imported from the United States in their old forest lands. These efforts were successful, and the marten population in Canada was restored. Today, in those areas where martens have bred in sufficient numbers, their limited shooting is permitted.

REPRODUCTION

Rutting among martens occurs in the summer - usually in July-August. During this period, the animals briefly humble their quarrelsome disposition and actively search for a partner. After a two-week courtship, the male, without unnecessary ceremony, mates with the chosen one several times during the day, after which the couple scatters about their business. During one mating season, both the male and the female can have several sexual partners. Having undergone preliminary division, fertilized eggs seem to hibernate for 6-7 months, and with the arrival of spring, special physiological processes in the mother’s body give a new impetus to their development and implantation of embryos in the uterine cavity. From this moment, the accelerated development of the embryos begins, and the final stage of pregnancy lasts about 30 days. In March-April, the female brings on average three cubs, which are born in a specially prepared nest - most often in a tree hollow.

Newborns are blind and covered with sparse fur. For 45 days, the mother feeds her offspring with milk. Babies grow up quickly and already at one month of age they see, hear perfectly and have a full set of baby teeth. The one and a half month old cubs are so playful and restless that the mother drags them to a new den on the ground, trying to protect them from falling from a tall tree. By the end of the third month of life, young martens reach the size of adults and part with their mother to go in search of their own territory. Females reach sexual maturity at 2 years, and males at 3 years.

DID YOU KNOW?

• In one day, the marten can cover up to 25 km. To do this, she must make about 30 thousand jumps 60-70 cm long.
• The marten requires 120 g of food per day, but it often has to be content with a much more modest portion - 60-90 g.
• The American marten is the most dexterous and agile climber among all members of the mustelidae family.
• The fishing marten (pecan) is larger than all its relatives. Its body length reaches 80 cm and its weight is 5 kg. Since her hunting grounds coincide with those of the pine marten, the latter often becomes the prey of her giantess cousin.
• The marten usually does not store food and, after a successful hunt, immediately eats its prey. For a long time zoologists could not find an explanation for the bloody massacres that the wheatear martens carried out when they climbed into the chicken coop. The answer turned out to be simple: in the wild, a potential victim of a predator tries to escape, and poultry reacts in the same way to the appearance of an enemy. However, in a locked chicken coop there is nowhere to run, and at the sight of such an abundance of defenseless prey, the marten falls into the excitement of the hunt, instinctively killing everyone who falls into its claws. Having gutted one unfortunate chicken and eaten to its fill, the robber leaves, and the owners can only count their losses.

RELATED SPECIES

The genus of martens is represented by seven species. They all live in the Northern Hemisphere and have a similar body structure, differing from each other mainly in the color of their hair.
Kharza- found in the forests of Central and Southeast Asia.

Stone marten- lives in Southern and Central Europe; settles in mountainous areas and near human habitation.

The American marten (Latin name – Martes americana) is a rather rare representative of the mustelidae family.

This small predator can be found in the forests of Canada, the USA and Alaska. Previously, the American marten was much more numerous, but due to the value of its skin for humans, its populations were significantly reduced.

This is also influenced by the disappearance of the forests themselves where the marten lives. Currently, animal rights activists and biologists are working to restore population numbers in US nature reserves.

Appearance of the American marten

The American marten is similar to the pine marten. And the body shape resembles. But it differs from the latter in having stiffer fur, and from the pine marten in having wider feet and a lighter muzzle.

The marten has a long (from 50 to 70 centimeters), very flexible body. The special beauty of this predator is its fluffy tail, which makes up a third of its entire length.

The paws are short, five-fingered, they end in curved sharp claws that help the predator climb trees and get food. The marten's eyes are dark, large, and shiny. The ears are also quite large, rounded at the top. Males are larger than females. The weight of martens ranges from 500 grams to one and a half kilograms.

The marten is a small furry animal.

The coat is shiny and long. The main color of the fur is brown, but in different individuals it can vary from light brown to dark red. The belly and face of the animal are usually lighter than the back. On the chest there is a small area with cream fur. The legs and tail are dark brown or almost black. Two thin black lines descend from the eyes to the nose.

Marten lifestyle

American martens prefer the dark coniferous forests- dense, with many fallen trees in which the marten can hide and which are ideal for its nest. However, these martens are also found in mixed forests, although rarely. They lead a solitary lifestyle. They hunt mainly at night, at dusk or in the pre-dawn hours. Can hunt during the day. This predator is extremely agile; it easily moves through trees and jumps from branch to branch.

But martens did not develop the skill of dart frog in order to get their food in trees, since martens hunt mainly on the ground. But from a height, firstly, the prey is more visible, and secondly, the predator itself is less noticeable to the prey. Peak activity is observed in the marten in the pre-dawn hours, when victims emerge from their burrows in search of food.

Listen to the voice of the American marten

The marten hunts mice, rabbits, and small birds. Moreover, in search of voles, the marten can build long tunnels under the snow. The marten usually kills its prey with a lightning-fast bite to the neck or back of the head, breaking its spine.

The marten is a predatory animal.

The marten can also swim, including underwater. There she also catches prey - frogs, fish. If it is a hungry year, the marten does not disdain even carrion and plant foods. Can feast on seeds, mushrooms and even honey.

Each marten has its own hunting grounds, which it completely bypasses approximately once every 10 days. The area of ​​an individual territory depends on the abundance of food, the presence of fallen trees and the size of the animal itself. When meeting strangers - other martens encroaching on their territory, American martens mercilessly drive them out, entering into battle. Young individuals, in order to find rich places for hunting that are not occupied by adult individuals, can wander over fairly large distances.

The enemies of the American marten are, first of all, people who cut down forests and destroy the martens themselves for their skins. But martens can also become victims of larger carnivorous mammals and birds. In addition, the marten’s enemy is often her own curiosity, thanks to which she falls into traps and snares set for other animals.

The lifespan of a marten is approximately 10-15 years.

Reproduction of the American marten

The rutting period for the American marten lasts for two months. At this time, males, usually living alone, meet with females. The other half of the marten is found by smell, leaving special marks using secretions secreted from the anal glands. Predators communicate with each other using sharp sounds and screams reminiscent of giggling.

Interestingly, after mating, fertilized embryos begin to develop only after 6-7 months of so-called latent pregnancy. The development of the embryos itself lasts for two months. After the act of mating and fertilization, embryos do not develop immediately, but only after 6-7 months. Thus, the total gestation period is about 267 days.

Puppies are born in March-April. As a rule, 3-4 of them are born, but in rare cases there are up to seven in a litter. The father does not take part in raising the offspring. In order to give birth and hatch offspring, female martens make nests in fallen trees, hollow logs, lining the bottom with soft grass.

The American marten is a master of long runs.

Puppies are born blind and deaf, weighing only about 30 grams. After a month, their eyes open and their ears begin to distinguish sounds. Cubs feed on mother's milk for two months. Then the mother begins to bring them animal food and teaches them to hunt. By four months, puppies are already able to get their own food.

The American marten is capable of walking up to 25 kilometers per day, while making about 30 thousand jumps of about 60 centimeters, both on the ground and in trees.

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The animals are most active in the early morning, late afternoon and at night. Outside the mating season, they lead a reclusive lifestyle. Males defend their territories, which are about 8 square kilometers in size, which overlap with the females' territories, which are about 2.5 square kilometers in size. There is a lot of aggression between animals of the same sex. Tagged animals showed that some live sedentary, while others are nomadic. Nomads usually include young animals that have become independent.

Martens are very agile. They easily jump through trees from branch to branch, marking their paths of movement with the smell of their glands. The abdominal and anal scent glands are well developed and are characteristic feature for all representatives of the mustelid family. These predators are also well adapted to climbing trees, where they catch squirrels in their nests at night. They hunt alone. These animals kill their prey with a bite to the back of the head, destroying the spinal cord and breaking the victim’s cervical vertebrae. In winter, predators dig tunnels under the snow to search for mouse-like rodents. They also willingly eat rabbits, chipmunks, partridges, frogs, fish, insects, carrion and even fruits and vegetables.

The American marten is similar to other martens - it has a long, slender body covered with shiny, brownish fur. The throat is yellowish, the tail is long and bushy. Similar to cats, it has semi-extended claws that make it easier to climb trees, as well as relatively large feet, suitable in snowier areas.

The habitat of American martens is dark coniferous forests: old coniferous forests of spruce, pine and other trees, as well as forest stands with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, including white pine, spruce, birch, maple and fir.

Mating in American martens occurs in the summer - in July and August. The male and female find each other thanks to scent marks left by the anal glands. Fertilized eggs do not develop immediately, but remain in the uterus for another 6-7 months in a dormant state, after which the pregnancy lasts 2 months. For childbirth, females prepare a nest lined with grass and other plant materials. Such nests are located in logs, hollow trees or other voids. The female gives birth to up to 7 cubs (usually 3-4). Newborns are deaf and blind, weighing only 25-30 grams. The eyes open on the 39th day, and the ears after the 26th. Lactation lasts no more than 2 months. At 3-4 months. kids can get their own food. They reach puberty at 15-24 months, and the birth of cubs is usually at 3 years. Males do not take any part in raising offspring.