Where does the marten live in the forest. What does a marten animal look like. What does a stone marten look like

Do you know why stone marten is that what it's called? Where does this cute little animal live? What does it eat? Can a stone marten live at home? We will try to answer these and many other questions in this article.

External features

The marten is one of the most widespread predators of the class Mammals. This small animal, which has a slender and flexible body, fluffy hair, is a serious enemy for many birds and animals. To date, scientists distinguish 8 types of martens. The most famous of them are stone and forest varieties.

The stone marten has an oblong, fluffy and a long tail. Her limbs are short. This animal has a triangular face. set high. Many people think that this animal is very similar to a ferret. There are undeniable similarities. The main difference is a forked light spot on the marten's chest, passing in two stripes to the front legs. But it is necessary to know that the Asian population of the species may not have a spot at all.

The coat of the animal is rather hard, painted in a grayish-brown or brownish-yellow hue. The eyes are dark. At night they glow reddish. The stone marten, the photo of which you can see in this article, leaves clearer marks on the ground than its forest "relative". This one moves little predator jumps, while the hind legs clearly fall on the trail of the front. As a result, prints remain, which hunters call "two-beads".

The white-haired marten (stone marten) differs significantly from the forest individual. She has a slightly longer tail, a yellowish spot on her neck, a darker nose, and feet are covered with hair. The stone marten is heavier and smaller in size. The body length of an adult animal is 55 centimeters, the tail is 30 cm. Weight is from 1 to 2.5 kg. Males are noticeably larger than females.

Stone marten: distribution area

This animal lives in the treeless mountains of Altai in the Caucasus, in the floodplain forests of Ciscaucasia, and sometimes in the cities and parks of the southern regions of Russia. This type of martens is widespread in Eurasia, in Mongolia and in the Himalayas.

It is also found in Ukraine, in Kazakhstan, Belarus, in Central and Central Asia. This animal does not live in forests, preferring open spaces with small shrubs and rare single trees, rocky terrain. That is why the animal was so named. Surprisingly, this small animal is not afraid of people at all, it can often be found in basements and sheds, in the attics of residential buildings.

Are you interested in the question of home maintenance? In captivity, the stone marten practically does not live. For this reason, it is rarely seen even in large zoos. True, in Germany, in the Central Zoo of Berlin, the Germans managed to create almost ideal conditions, as close as possible to natural environment habitat.

Subspecies

Biologists have divided all stone martens into four subspecies.

1. European blond. Lives in some areas of the European part of the former Soviet Union and Western Europe.
2. Crimean white lady. As it is already clear, this is a resident of the Crimea. It has a slightly different tooth structure from other relatives, a small skull and a lighter color.
3. Caucasian white lady. This is the largest subspecies living in Transcaucasia, having valuable shiny fur and beautiful underfur.
4. The Central Asian white-haired woman chose Altai as her place of residence. Her chest patch is poorly developed. Has very thick fur.

Behavior in the natural environment

The stone marten is active at dusk and at night. During the day they sleep in the hollows of trees or nest in the nests of feathered predators. Most martens spend their lives on the branches of trees, so they feel very confident there - they climb trunks, jump from branch to branch. Their jump can reach 4 meters.

Martens quickly move on the ground. Each individual owns its own allotment, the boundaries of which it marks with a special secret. If the territory is violated by a stranger, then a conflict is possible between the animals. True, in males and females, the ranges quite often intersect. The area of ​​such allotments varies depending on the time of year. AT summer time more plots than in winter.

What does a marten eat

Martens are predators, so the basis of their diet is small animals - rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds. Rural residents note that these animals are quite frequent guests of chicken coops. When the birds begin to rush about in a panic, even a completely well-fed marten will not be able to suppress its hunting instinct - it will pass all the birds.

Having caught their prey, predators break her vertebrae, suck out warm blood with her tongue folded into a tube. The stone marten is able to catch up and grab a bird that has lost its vigilance or climb into a nest and eat eggs. In summer, these animals catch various insects, frogs. Sometimes martens add plant foods to their diet, usually berries or fruits.

Hunting stone marten with traps

For experienced hunter marten is a worthy trophy. It is cunning, agile and fast predator, which is capable of avoiding various obstacles during the chase, maneuvering and hiding in the trees. The official season starts in November. As we have already said, this nocturnal predator(stone marten). Hunting is possible only at night. Only in this case you will not return home empty-handed.

by the most effective way hunting for this animal is the use of traps. Most often, trap number 1 is used. Each hunter has own secrets their installations. Let's share one of them. Traps should be set on tree branches at a height of from one to two meters, then they will not be covered with snow. And when the animal falls into a trap, he will not have a chance to get out (in limbo).

The bait trap must be placed near well-trodden forest paths. Hunting is not mass, since the number of these animals is not too large. In addition, it is quite difficult to get such an animal. Nevertheless, for the most adventurous hunters, the marten is a welcome trophy.

The pine marten, also known as the jaundice, is a mammalian carnivore. The animal has long fur, which is of considerable value. Outwardly, the marten looks elegant and graceful, its body is oblong.

The tail of the marten is fluffy, covered with fur, quite large, approximately equal in length to the body. The tail performs not only the role of decoration, but is also very functional - using it, the marten maintains balance while jumping or moving along the branches of trees.

The limbs of the animal are short, at the time of winter cold they become more woolly. This allows the animal to easily run on ice or snow deposits. Each paw ends in five toes with curved claws that can retract half a size inward.

The muzzle of the pine marten is long and wide, the animal has strong jaw and very sharp teeth. The ears of the predator have a triangular shape, rather large relative to the muzzle. At the tip, they are rounded, the edging is yellow.

The nose of the marten is black, pointed. The eyes are darkish, at night they acquire a slightly copper color. When looking at a photograph of an animal, you can experience the most positive emotions. Outwardly, the marten looks affectionately and harmlessly, her gaze is innocent. High-quality animal fur and amazing color deserve special attention.

The coat color of the animal can vary from chestnut and light brown to yellowish. On the back, paws and head, the coat usually has a darker shade than on the stomach and sides. The tail at the end is most often black.

characteristic external feature pine marten from other representatives of the breed is an orange shade of wool in the neck, which smoothly flows to the forelimbs. It is from here that the other name of the animal takes its name - the zheltodarka.

The marten is comparable in size to an adult large cat. The length of the body can reach 55 centimeters, while the tail is usually about 26 cm. Compared to an adult male, the female is one third smaller.

Habitat

Almost all Eurasian forests are densely populated by pine martens. These animals live in a vast territory: from the Caucasus and Iran, the west of Siberia and Corsica, to the lands of Asia Minor and Sicily, to the Mediterranean islands and Sardinia.

The animal often chooses forests with deciduous trees, sometimes mixed forests. Much less often they can be found in coniferous flattering areas. In exceptional cases pine marten can live in high mountains, but only where there are trees.

The ideal habitat for the animal are forest areas where there are trees with a hollow. The marten enters spacious and open areas only for the purpose of hunting. An area dominated by a rocky landscape is not suitable for an animal.

This animal does not arrange for itself a separate and permanent home. Quite often, the squirrel finds for itself hollows abandoned by squirrels, old nests, windbreaks, choosing places at a height of 5-6 meters. Here the marten stops in order to rest during the day.

After evening and night come, graceful predator goes out in search of food, and then heads to the next place to rest. However, if hard frosts come to the area where the marten lives, its worldview may change. In this case, the animal lives in the dwelling for a long time, using what it has prepared in advance for food. Zheltodushka prefers places remote from people and settlements.

The value of the animal's fur determines that the pine marten is the most important commercial variety of the marten breed. Thus, the jaundice experiences sufficient difficulties with reproduction and survival. This is facilitated not only by a decrease in wooded areas suitable for the animal, but also by an increase in the number of hunters who want to get expensive fur.

Character features

In comparison with other representatives of the mustelid genus, the yellow-bellied beetle is most favorably and reverently related to living and hunting directly on the trees. She has no problem climbing high up tree trunks. A significant role in this is played by a tenacious and long tail, which the animal uses not only as a rudder, but also as a kind of parachute that allows it to jump from a height without injury.

The marten is not at all afraid of the very tops of the trees, it can easily move from branch to branch, and the maximum length of the animal's jump can reach four meters. Even on the surface of the earth, she can also make jumps. In addition, the marten is an excellent swimmer, but it can enter the water in exceptional cases.

The pine marten is known for its agility, agility and speed. The animal can cover great distances in short term. Many other predators will envy her sharp eyesight, hearing and smell, which assist her in the process of hunting. Zheltodushka is quite funny, sweet and curious. In their own flock, martens communicate using sounds similar to growls or purrs. The cubs of these animals make sounds resembling chirping.

For the most part, these animals prefer to live alone, apart from other representatives of this species. Each animal has its own personal area. The marten delimits its territory using special smell marks, which are obtained due to the secretion of an odorous secret from the anal glands. total area The territory occupied by the animal can reach 5000 hectares. Usually females have a plot that is several times smaller than that of males. In addition, the area of ​​the site may decrease with the onset of the cold season.

The males are engaged active protection their personal territory from other animals of this sex. In addition, in some females and males, "allotments" may intersect with each other. Also, if two males meet outside the rutting period, then usually this is not accompanied by skirmishes and showing aggression.

This animal is unpretentious in food, is omnivorous predator. The diet of the pine marten is completely and entirely determined by the time of year, its habitat and the ability to find one or another food. But, nevertheless, the main component of its feed is food of animal origin. The most favorite delicacy of the pine marten are ordinary squirrels.

It often happens that the hunter manages to catch the squirrel right inside the hollow. However, if this does not happen, the marten can pursue prey for a long time, moving behind it along the branches of trees. There is also an impressive list of various small animals, for which the marten will gladly open its merciless hunt. These include both ordinary snails and wild hares and hedgehogs. It is noteworthy that the predator kills its own prey by inflicting one exact bite on the back of the head. The animal will never disdain carrion.

In summer and autumn, the pine marten is actively engaged in replenishing its own body with essential vitamins. She eats nuts berries, fruits growing on trees and other products rich in trace elements. A certain amount of food obtained is hidden by the zheltodarka for the future in a captured hollow. Most of all, this animal loves to eat rowan berries or blueberries.

Lifespan and reproduction

In the summer season, the rutting period begins at the pine marten. One adult male chooses one or two females for mating. It is curious that with the onset of winter, martens may experience the so-called false rutting period. In this case, they also show anxiety, aggression and belligerence, but this does not lead to the necessary mating.

After the conception of the offspring, the female bears it for 236-274 days. Before the cubs are born, she is engaged in arranging her home, making a shelter out of it. It is there that she remains until the moment the babies are born. Usually, one female gives birth to up to eight cubs. The body of each baby is covered with sparse and short fur, the offspring itself at first is deaf and blind.

Only after a little more than three weeks, the babies begin to hear sounds, and by the 28th day their eyes open. If the female needs to hunt, she certain time can leave offspring. In cases where he is in danger, the mother takes them to another, fairly safe shelter.

By the age of four months, slightly matured animals can show independence and get their own food, but for some time they stay near their mother. The life span of the pine marten reaches ten years on average, but in the most favorable environment may be fifteen years.

Facts

The pine marten is quite difficult to breed in an artificially created environment. Most numerous groups These animals live in zoos, which are located in Germany and Austria. Also, some fans of funny predators keep them at home. However, it should be understood that it is not known exactly how the marten will react to a person in an apartment environment. Some representatives will be affectionate and gentle, others will be indifferent, and still others will begin to show a warlike mood.

Despite their rapacity, some pine martens are quite timid and fearful. At the moment of fright, they undergo a seizure, which proceeds with severe convulsions, in some cases, with convulsions. Then after a while the animal freezes. Most often, the seizure passes without a trace, but sometimes it ends with the death of the marten.

In the list of enemies of this animal are other predators. These include a wolf, a lynx or an owl, a fox and some birds, for example, a hawk or a golden eagle. From terrestrial predators, the marten can successfully hide on tall trees. It often happens that the larger hunter animals kill the yellowtails not for the sake of food, but to eliminate a direct competitor in the food chain.

AT this moment The world population of pine martens is about 200 thousand heads. Also, it is curious that the zheltodarka can mate with representatives of the sable species. In this case, the hybrid turns out to be sterile, it is called kindus.

Video: pine marten (Martes martes)

The pine marten is a mammal from the marten family and genus martens. This small predatory animal with a very valuable fur can be found in most of Europe and Asia. It differs from a ferret only in a triangular muzzle and a yellowish breast. From this, the second common name is zheltodushka.

The appearance of the pine marten

• The muzzle is a small elongated triangular shape with a strong jaw and sharp teeth;
• Ears - triangular dark with light edges, rounded at the top;
• The body is slender and flexible;
• Color - from light chestnut to Brown, on the chest - a yellow or orange spot in the form of a drop;
• Paws - five-fingered with strong feet and curved claws. AT winter time paws are overgrown with wool;
• The tail is large and fluffy, in size it is more than half the body of the animal. The tail provides balance while jumping and moving through the trees.

The length of the marten can be 35-58 cm, and the tail - 15-28 cm. Weight - from 0.5 to 2.4 kg. Males are much larger than females, the difference between them can be up to 30%.

Habitat

The pine marten prefers overgrown with bushes, dense mixed and deciduous forests, less often it can be seen in a coniferous forest. It lives in almost all of Europe. The marten enters open areas exclusively for hunting and in the dark. During the day the jaundice rests. As a dwelling, she chooses several places for herself at once: hollows or crevices in trees, abandoned nests at a height of no higher than 5 meters. She lives in a certain area for several years.

Lifestyle. Nutrition

Leads night image life. During the day it hides, in the evening it goes hunting at night. She is excellent at climbing trees, while she can turn her feet 180 degrees. Each individual has its own territory, it is permissible to cross the possessions of the male with the females.

The marten is omnivorous, it can eat both vegetable and animal food. Its menu depends on the habitat and season. By winter, the animal prepares its own food in hollows. The main diet is animal protein food:

• bird eggs;
• Birds (woodpeckers, tits, capercaillie, and);
• Small rodents (mice, voles, pikas), hares, hedgehogs;
• Insects and their larvae;
• small fish;
• snails;
• and their caviar.

Yellowling very deftly jumps (jump length 4 meters) through the trees, runs fast and easily catches prey. But it can also eat carrion. What does not eat immediately, stores for future use. Depending on the season, the animal also eats plant food - everything that can be collected without descending from the tree:

• Forest berries (raspberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cherries);
• wild apples and pears;
• Rose hip;
• hazelnuts;
• Rowan;
• Honey.

Enemies of the marten

reproduction

Martens acquire offspring, starting from the third year of life. AT summer months females begin estrus lasting about 4 days. Males choose several females from neighboring areas at once. Pregnancy lasts up to 274 days, during this period the female chooses a permanent home for herself, where she will breed.

Martens (Martes) are a genus of carnivorous animals from the mustelid family, known for their graceful, flexible build, feline grace and valuable fur.

In addition to the martens proper, the genus includes the marten, ilka and sable, a total of 8 species of animals, which are united by common biological characteristics and habits. Differences between predators are expressed in body size, fur color, some individual features and habitats.

What do martens look like?

Martens are animals of medium size, with a strongly elongated, squat body and short legs males are one-third larger than females. The paws of predators end in five free fingers, armed with strong and sharp claws. An interesting feature martens is the fine motor skills of the hands, developed, like a child of 3 years old.

The tail of martens is long and fluffy and serves as an animal not only decoration, but also provides balance while jumping and climbing trees.

Martens have a small, neat head with a sharp muzzle and short, triangular ears with rounded tips. Like all predators, martens have sharp teeth, perfectly adapted for hunting, and defending themselves, a marten can seriously injure even an adult.

fur different types martens are noticeably different, but the summer coat is usually short and coarse, while the winter coat is long and silky. Martens are very diversely colored, although various variations of brown are the predominant tones.

Range and lifestyle

Martens are widely distributed in temperate climate zone Eurasia and North America, some species prefer dense forests, others keep more open landscapes and even settle near human habitation.

These animals lead a semi-arboreal and terrestrial way of life, they hunt mainly at night and at dawn, and during the day they rest in their lairs, equipped in hollow trees and abandoned nests. birds of prey. Being territorial animals, martens mark individual areas with the secret of anal glands and carefully protect them from encroachments of individuals of their own sex.

Nutrition and reproduction

Martens are omnivorous, and the basis of their diet is small rodents (squirrels, voles, rats), birds and their eggs. Sometimes martens eat reptiles, frogs and insects, and will not refuse carrion. In summer, predators eat berries, fruits and nuts with pleasure.

The hunting method of martens is quite cruel and effective: the beast breaks the victim cervical vertebrae, immediately rolls its tongue into a tube and drinks blood from live prey.

Reproductive age martens reach the age of 2-3 years, mating season occurs in spring and summer. Due to the delay in implantation of the embryo, pregnancy lasts from 8 to 12 months, with the exception of the harza, which carries offspring for 120 days. 3-4 cubs are born, the offspring begin to see clearly in about a month, at the age of 2 months they begin to wean from mother's milk, and at 4 months the cubs already lead an independent life.

AT natural conditions few martens live up to 10 years, but in captivity, with decent care, they live up to 16 years.

These predators are also called zheltodushki, due to a round yellowish spot located on the throat, and the overall color of the fur is brown or chestnut. The average size of adults is about 45-58 cm with a body weight of 800 g to 1.8 kg.

The pine marten prefers to live in trees much more than its relatives, and its range runs through dense forests throughout Europe and the western regions of Asia. Wood martens are excellent acrobats, deftly climbing and jumping along the branches of trees, while their feet are able to turn 180 degrees.

Its second name is the white-haired marten, this marten received due to white spot on the neck, which, unlike the forest relative, is divided, may reach the front legs or be completely absent. The fur of predators is grayish-brown, coarse and of no particular commercial value, but they are often exterminated as pests that drag chickens and rabbits, as well as gnaw through hoses and car wiring.

Stone martens are smaller but heavier than their forest relatives, their average height is 40-55 cm, and their body weight reaches 1.1-2.3 kg. Other distinguishing features of the animals are a light nose and hairless feet.

The range of the stone marten covers a significant territory of Eurasia, and for the purpose of fur hunting, these animals were specially brought to the North American state of Wisconsin. The stone marten can often be found in rocky landscapes and other open areas with sparse vegetation. These predators are the only ones of their kind who are not afraid of humans, therefore they often equip their shelters in attics, barns and stables.

Representatives of the species outwardly resemble pine martens, but differ in a more diverse overall color of the fur: from light yellow to reddish and brown. As a rule, the neck of predators is lighter, and the legs and tail are dark brown.

These martens grow up to 32 - 45 cm, with a body weight of 470 g to 1.3 kg. Distinctive feature species are 2 black longitudinal stripes extending from the eyes.

Predators prefer to settle in dense forest areas, their range passes through the territory of North America, and highest density populations are noted in Alaska and Canada.

These predators are also called yellow-breasted or Ussuri martens, and they are the largest and most colorful representatives of the genus. Adult individuals grow in length up to 55 - 80 cm and weigh up to 5.7 kg. The fur on the back is golden brown, the head and muzzle are black, the chin is white, the neck and chest are bright yellow, and the paws and tail are dark brown.

Kharza is widespread in Korea, China, India, Pakistan and many other Asian countries. On the territory of Russia, it is found in the Amur region and Primorye, animals were also brought to the Crimea, Dagestan, Adygea, where they successfully took root. The favorite habitats of the harza are taiga forests, where the beast is considered one of the most dangerous predators, and prefers primarily musk deer as prey.

This marten is painted in the most bizarre way: her top part the body is dark brown, and the chest and throat are distinguished by a bright, orange-yellow color. The size of adults is from 55 to 70 cm with a weight of 2-2.5 kg.

Nilgir Harza is an endemic, little-studied species that lives only in South India. These animals are known to be active during the day and prefer to live in trees.

Other names for predators are fishing marten or pecan, although these animals practically do not eat fish. These animals are quite large and grow in length from 75 to 120 cm with a weight of 2-5 kg. Their long, dense, but rough fur is distinguished by a dark brown color with a silvery sheen on the head.

Ilka lives in coniferous forests North America and more than other martens prefer to walk on the ground, so it often equips its shelters in burrows or right in the snow.

The average size of this animal is only 56 cm, however, the sable is one of the strongest and most dexterous taiga predators leading a terrestrial lifestyle. The color of the sable is the most diverse: from dark brown and almost black, to fawn and light sandy.

Photo: young sable.
Sable in the Krasnoyarsk Stolby nature reserve.

Sable prefers to settle in impenetrable forests with a predominance of Siberian cedar and is found throughout the taiga from the Urals to the Pacific coast and on the island of Hokkaido.

Photo of a sable.
Sable on a branch.

In the eastern regions of the Urals, a hybrid of sable and marten lives, called kidus, which has inherited the features of both parents.

This medium-sized predator grows up to 54 cm in length and weighs from 1 to 1.6 kg. The Japanese sable is distinguished by a yellowish-brown or brown color of the fur with a light mark on the back of the head.

Predators are found both in forests and in more open landscapes, and their range runs along the southern Japanese islands Tsushima, Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu.

Despite the fishing of these animals, the state of the populations of all types of martens today does not cause concern, although some rare subspecies are under state protection.

The pine marten lives on large area Europe, also found in Mesopotamia and parts of Asia Minor.

Martens live only in wooded area. These animals can also live in the mountains, but only in those that have a forest.

Martens practically do not live in captivity. Because of this, they are rarely found in zoos. But the Germans managed to create conditions for martens in the zoo as close as possible to their natural habitat. But in other countries, few people manage to do this.

The appearance of the marten

The body length of the marten varies from 45 to 53 centimeters. Fluffy tail has a length of 20-25 centimeters.

The average weight is 1.5 kilograms. Males are slightly larger than females.

The animal has triangular ears with yellow trim. The color of the skin varies from dark brown to light brown. In winter, the fur is thicker and silkier than in summer.

The legs are short, they have inside hair cover. On the neck there is a rounded spot of yellowish color.

Behavior and nutrition of the marten

Martens are active at dusk and at night. During the day, the animals sleep in tree cavities or in large nests of raptors. Martens spend a lot of time on trees, so they can perfectly climb trunks and jump from one branch to another. They can jump up to 4 meters.

Martens also move quickly on the ground. Each individual owns its own allotment, the boundaries of which are marked with an odorous secret secreted from the anal glands. If the boundaries are violated by a stranger, then conflicts arise between the animals. But in females and males, the ranges may overlap. The area of ​​the territories may vary depending on the time of the year. So, in summer there are more plots than in winter time.

Listen to the marten's voice

Martens have sharp teeth, thanks to which they easily cope with animal and plant foods. The diet of martens consists of voles, small birds and eggs.

Also, animals eat insects, reptiles and even carrion. The marten kills its victim by biting it on the back of the head. From vegetable food martens use berries, nuts and honey. In autumn, the animals store food for the winter.

Reproduction and lifespan

The gestation period for martens is 7 months. Babies are born in March-April. The female gives birth to 3-4 cubs, which weigh about 30 grams each.

After 4 months after birth, the offspring becomes independent, but remains with the mother until the next spring. Life span in wild nature is 8-9 years old. In captivity, if suitable conditions for life are created, martens can live up to 16-18 years.