marten

a kind of animal – mammal – four-legged – meat-eating – related to weasel group –  about 8 species in the world –  lives mostly in trees

common names are: European pine marten, American marten, beech/stone marten, Newfoundland marten and fisher (North American marten)

[Martens make several sounds (calls), some of them are ‘chatter’, ‘purr’ and ‘growl’; a baby marten is called a ‘kit’ or ‘kitten’; the home, for giving birth to kittens, is called a ‘den’ – a hole or hollow in tree trunks or a gap or crack (crevice) in the rocks; and a group of martens is called a ‘richness’.]

*European pine marten:

a long slender body with thick light to dark brown coat (fur), cream to yellow patch of hair “bib” on the throat, narrow pointed snout (mouth and nose part), small triangular ears, sharp claws with soft pads, long bushy tail; size: 2 feet long plus 10 inch long tail, and weight: 1½-2 Kg (males are larger than females); feeds on small animals – mice, rabbits, frogs, insects, birds and bird eggs, dead animals, and fruit and honey; lives for 8-10 years; three sub-species found on the main land of Europe

*American marten: (also ‘pine marten’)

a long slender body with brown fur, pale orange patch “bib” on the throat, narrow pointed snout (mouth and nose part); small rounded ears, claws and large soft pads on each foot, bushy tail; size: 1½-2 feet long and 6 inches tall, and weight: about 1 Kg (males are larger than females); feeds on fish, frogs, insects, dead animals, and fruit and plant matter; lives for 6-15 years; found in North America

*beech marten or stone marten:

a long slender body with relatively short legs for a marten, with brown fur (coat) and a forked white patch “bib” on the throat, small rounded ears, long bushy tail; size 2-3 feet long, and weight: about 2 Kg. (males are larger than females); feeds on small animals, earthworms, bird eggs, and some fruit; lives for 10-18 years (but some experts are in the opinion that in the wild they live not more than 3 years); found in Central Europe and Asia

Beech martens are notorious for damaging cars – biting off the cables and hoses in the car engines, and also residing in the attics of building and killing the domestic cats, livestock and chicken!

*Newfoundland marten:

dark brown fur (coat) with orange throat patch and lighter fur around the head and face, relatively short and less pointed snout (mouth and nose part), long bushy tail, and thick furry pads on the feet; found in the province of Newfoundland in Canada

The ‘Newfoundland marten’ is found only in the Newfoundland island, Canada.

*fisher:

(also known as ‘North American marten’, ‘pekan’ or ‘fisher cat’)

a slender body with dark brown fur, grey hair around the face, light yellow patch on the throat “bib”, black legs and bushy tail; size: 2-3½ feet long, and weight: about 3-7 Kg (males much larger than females); feeds on (eats) small animals – squirrels, mice, hares, rabbits, porcupines, dead animals, birds, and some fruit; lives for 10-15 years; found in North America

Though the name is ‘fisher’, these North American martens do not live on fish alone!  The name ‘fish’ has come from the French word ‘fitchet’ which means ‘pole cat’, an animal which looks like (resembles) martens!

Special Features:

Martens are hunted and/or kept on farms for their beautiful thick warm fur which is made into expensive clothes; and many people have kept them as pets.

{The word ‘martin’ with an ‘i’ in place of an ‘e’ is the name of a bird, related to the swallows.}

[Return to "marten ~ martin" in Words Often Confused.]

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