Wildlife
Marten (Martes americana)
 The long, beautiful, chocolate brown coat of marten lead to its nickname: American Sable. A streak of lighter fur usually runs from the throat onto the chest. They have a fox-like face with broad rounded ears and unlike other members of the weasel family, a long bushy tail. Male marten grow 10 to 25 inches long plus an 8-inch tail and weigh up to 3 pounds. Females are substantially smaller.
Marten are mostly nocturnal and spend a great deal of their time in trees. They inhabit mature conifer forests and prey on red squirrels and other small mammals but will vary their diet with snowshoe hares, insects, birds, eggs, fruit and nuts.
Breeding usually occurs July to August with young born in April. Litters average two to four and the newborns are six inches long, weighing only one ounce. They develop slowly and are about half of adult size by mid-July. By fall the young are independent and leave their mother to become solitary hunters.
.
Last updated: March 9, 2011
Tetlin Home
Alaska National Wildlife Refuge Home
Alaska Region Home
|
