Where does the marten live, in what natural zone? American marten In which zone does the American marten live?
Martens are small mammals, representatives of the large family of mustelids (or martens). These small animals are widespread in many areas. Where the marten lives, there are forests. But not all representatives of this family can be found in Russian open spaces.
Of the martens that live in America, the American marten itself and the ilka (fishing marten) are known. In wet tropical jungle Nilgiri harza is found in southern India, and Japanese sable is found in the forests of Japan and Korea.
There are four species of martens in Russia - pine and stone martens, kharza and sable. The most common of them is considered to be forest.
Let's dwell on it. Let's talk about where the marten lives, in what natural area.
Description
The marten is a small graceful animal, similar in size to an ordinary cat. It has a characteristic triangular small muzzle, protruding rounded ears, strong broad paws with sharp claws that help it move through the trees. The pine marten has a characteristic spot on the chest and neck yellow. Often this spot can take on the most bizarre shape. For this difference, the pine marten received a second name - yellow-hearted marten (or yellow-bellied marten).
The marten's body is small in length and is hardly more than 60 cm, while the animal has quite long tail, which he uses as a balancer when jumping from tree to tree. The length of these flights-jumps can be about 4 meters (for the harza - up to 8 meters).
The marten has beautiful fur of different shades - from fawn to brown. In winter, the marten's fur coat is darker and thicker, and in summer, during the molting process, it becomes lighter and shorter. In the light, the animal has small black eyes that glow with reddish lights in the dark.
Marten habitat
This animal was extremely widespread from the coldest regions of Siberia to the mountains of Scotland and Ireland. To the south, its range even extended into the Transcaucasian and Mediterranean regions.
Where does the marten live in Russia today? The pine marten is found in forests with strong tall trees up to Ural mountains, as well as in Siberia and the Caucasus. Occasionally it can be found in city parks. In the steppes with forest belts Western Siberia The habitats of the pine marten intersect with the habitats of another marten - the sable.
The marten prefers the upper layers of both lowland and mountain forests. Where the marten lives there are many trees coniferous species, there are both fallen trunks and young forest, as well as edges and clearings. In monolithic rocky areas, where there is little vegetation and no sources, the marten cannot be found.
Animal habits
Most often, martens live alone. Males live in areas of about two and a half hectares, females occupy smaller territories. These animals do not create permanent homes and shelters; they form pairs only during the breeding season.
Lead night look life. Having had its fill, during daylight hours the animal rests in old nests or hollows, preferring not to go down to the ground. The pine marten does not hibernate, but if cold weather sets in, it makes reserves in its shelter and waits out the bad weather. Can change the location of housing, moving from one to another.
The marten is an excellent hunter. Has excellent vision, smell and hearing. The marten, wandering in search of prey, can “master” vast territories; it deftly climbs trees, makes jumps, often grabbing prey on the fly, and easily makes its way along branches through the crown of trees. But the marten swims poorly, doing this only in extreme cases and reluctantly.
Like any predator, the marten is a cautious creature, but does not feel fear of humans. Sometimes, while hunting squirrels, it can penetrate into urban park areas. But the pine marten still tries not to live in close proximity to humans.
The lifespan of mustelids is about ten years in the wild.
What does a marten eat?
The marten is not particularly picky in its choice of food; its diet consists of rodents, birds, their eggs, as well as amphibians and insects, including grasshoppers. Hunting along the banks of reservoirs, this animal will catch fish and water rat. On occasion, he will feast on honeycombs with honey, extracting them from the hives of wild bees, as well as nuts, seeds and wild berries.
Such omnivorousness helps the marten survive when there is a “crop failure” for representatives of small fauna and there is no choice. But the Russian pine marten will still prefer to hunt squirrel, hare, hazel grouse, and wood grouse. But the taiga harza is for small deer (musk deer and roe deer).
The marten is a rather voracious animal. By raiding a chicken coop, she can strangle all the chickens, although she will only take one.
Reproduction and young
The marten's rut occurs in the second half of summer; in March, the female brings up to five (occasionally up to seven) cubs. Baby martens are blind, deaf and hairless at birth. Only after a month do they begin to see clearly, and a little earlier they acquire their first coat. Soon the young animals begin to taste the meat that the female brings to them, and after two months the first acquaintance with the outside world takes place - the martens begin to climb trees and try to hunt.
By mid-to-late summer, the female begins her next rut, and the mother abandons her puppies. Some of them leave to explore new territories, others remain in place.
Marten hunting
IN Ancient Rus' The marten was considered not just a valuable prey, its skins were used as a monetary unit and were called “kuna”. The most skilled hunters could long time chase the marten moving away from them along the treetops. Today such hunting masters cannot be found, although in some areas of Siberia and beyond the Urals - where the marten lives - it is still considered commercial species.
Hunting for marten, in particular sable, is subject to strict restrictions these days, since the number of all species of animals is limited in their range.
It is not advisable to hunt this animal with traps - the fur will be damaged. The best way Hunting with dogs is recognized. For example, the Evenks usually hunt sable with the help of their sled-like huskies.
Domestication of the marten
It is believed that puppies brought from the forest have difficulty taking root in captivity. Some species of mustelids are difficult to tame. Sometimes these animals require special conditions of detention. After all, this is an energetic, active animal. Where the marten likes to live, there should be trees, hidden loopholes, and hollows. A cage is not suitable for a growing animal; it needs a spacious enclosure in which all these signs of a free life will be present.
However, the marten can still be domesticated. By ensuring sufficiently comfortable maintenance in captivity, the life expectancy of the animal will double.
Other types of marten
Where the pine marten lives in Russia, you can also find other representatives of the mustelid family, namely stone marten, harza and sable.
Stone marten in habits, lifestyle and diet it is similar to the forest one, only slightly larger in size. She also has a spot on her chest, but it is white (hence the name - white-haired).
The peculiarity of the white-haired one is that this animal easily adapts to human proximity, without particularly suffering from it. economic activity, and can even live in attics and basements of stone houses. The white cape is considered a harmful animal because, in search of prey, it is capable of attacking small birds kept on farms and damaging wall insulation, cables and hoses.
Kharza is one of the largest mustelids. Where does this species of marten live? Kharza is found in the Ussuri taiga and the Amur region (and outside Russian borders - in India, China, Pakistan, Indochina and Indonesia). This is a rather large and whimsically colored animal.
Kharza can be easily recognized by the black color of the head, muzzle and white lower jaw. The body fur of the animal is of an original golden-brown color (sometimes they even say it has an orange tint), the tail and legs are dark. On the chest - common among representatives of many mustelids yellow spot.
Kharza is considered one of the most powerful and agile predators on its territory; it has practically no natural enemies. While hunting, it causes damage to beneficial animals - musk deer, roe deer, raccoon dog, squirrel, and sable.
Unlike the marten, the marten is a social animal; it prefers to stay together and relax in families.
And of course, when talking about the marten, one cannot help but recall the owner of the most luxurious fur among the mustelids - the sable. This is one of the characteristic inhabitants of the Russian taiga - from the Urals to the Pacific coasts. The colors of sable skins vary from the darkest (and most valuable) to fawn and almost white. There is often a spot on the neck that does not extend below.
The entire economy of Siberia used to depend on the extraction of this fur-bearing animal. As a result, its numbers were greatly reduced, and for some time the sable was in danger of extinction. Nowadays, scientists and game managers have managed to bring the size of the sable population to an optimal level.
Like all martens, the sable is a strong and agile predator. However, unlike the pine marten, it prefers to stay closer to the ground. Rarely climbs to the tops of trees. This type of marten lives where they grow cedar forests, there are elfin trees, and along mountain rivers. Shelters are often found in low-lying tree hollows, holes under tree roots, and cracks in rock formations. It goes hunting not only at night, but also during the day.
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 its existence is represented by human activity.
HABITAT
American marten most willingly settles in the coniferous forests of North America, where there is always a reliable shelter for it 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 successfully mastered mixed forests, where the forest stand is dominated by spruce, 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 the summer it also hunts during the day. To get lunch or dinner, she has to walk at least 4-5 km. Not disdaining plant food, the marten is, first of all, a strong and energetic predator and in the taiga is one of the best breadwinners. She successfully hunts small rodents, hares and squirrels, tirelessly pursuing her favorite prey, climbing into hollows and digging other people's holes. Birds and birds are often its victims. bats; 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 in severe bad weather, she most of during the day he sleeps peacefully in his lair.
SECURITY
Unfortunately, the marten is the owner of 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 the 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, 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 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 wildlife the potential victim of a predator tries to escape and reacts in the same way to the appearance of an enemy poultry. 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 (lat. Martes americana) is a 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 deforestation, animals have adapted to life in mixed forests with a predominance of spruce trees. They have also taken root in deciduous forests, where birches, maples and beeches dominate.
The marten avoids open spaces and tries to stay away from humans.
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 especially active in the summer, 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 bats also become its prey.
The marten happily feasts 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. The one-and-a-half-month-old puppies are unusually playful and so restless that their mother takes them to a new den on the ground to protect them from falling from a tall tree.
At 3.5 months, young martens reach the size 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 bushy 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.
The life expectancy of the American marten in the wild reaches 12-15 years.
The American marten (Martes americana) is considered a member of the mustelidae family and is a carnivorous mammal. From those living in Europe pine martens distinguished by larger paws and a lighter muzzle.
Description of the American marten
The American marten has a tail of good length, fluffy, it accounts for a third of the total length of the animal’s entire body, which ranges from 54 to 71 cm in males and from 49 to 60 cm in females. The weight of martens also varies from 0.5 to 1.5 kg.
Appearance
The similarity of this species of marten with others is easy to see: the body of the American marten is elongated, slender, the fur of a healthy individual is thick, sparkling, and brown. Also, animals of this species may have light brown or dark red fur. The lower neck (shirt front) is yellowish, but the paws and tail are darker. The ears are small and rounded.
This is interesting! The nose protrudes sharply, pointed, and the narrow mouth contains 38 sharp teeth. Two dark stripes cross the muzzle vertically to the eyes.
The animal's claws are semi-extended and sharp - to move well along branches and tree trunks, but are crooked in shape. Large feet help to move on snow cover, and the paws are short and have five toes. There is a noticeable similarity between American martens and c - the body structure allows you to see common features. Females are lighter and smaller in size than males.
Lifestyle, behavior
The American marten is a dexterous but cautious hunter, timid, avoids humans, does not like open spaces. It escapes from large predators in trees, where it can quickly and deftly climb in case of danger. These martens are most active in the early morning hours, in the evening and at night. You can see these animals in splendid isolation almost all year round, with the exception of the mating season. Representatives of both sexes have their own territories, which they zealously defend from the encroachments of other representatives of their species.
Martens mark their “kingdom” with the help of secretions secreted from glands located on the abdomen and in the area of the anus, leaving their scent marks on tree branches, stumps and other hills. Males can cover a territory of 8 km2, females - 2.5 km2. The area of these “possessions” is influenced by the size of the individual, as well as the presence of necessary food, fallen trees, and other voids that are important for the residence of martens and the living creatures included in its diet.
This is interesting! It is noteworthy that the areas of males and females can intersect and partially overlap each other, but the territories of same-sex martens do not coincide with each other, since each male or female zealously defends their “lands” from the encroachments of another representative of their sex.
At the same time, the male can also make attempts to seize someone else’s territory in order to increase his own hunting grounds. The marten makes a tour of its “possessions” approximately every decade.
Martens do not have a permanent home, but they can have more than a dozen shelters on their territory in the voids of fallen trees, hollows, burrows - in them martens can hide from bad weather or hide if necessary. Also interesting is the fact that these animals can lead both sedentary and nomadic lifestyles, and most of them are young animals that roam, having just embarked on an independent path in life, probably to search for territories unoccupied by other individuals or in search of areas rich in food .
Since American martens are hermits, they hunt alone, quickly moving along branches at night or twilight and, when overtaking their potential food, they attack from behind in the back of the head, biting the spine. Martens have a well-developed hunting instinct, and moving along tree branches helps these predators go unnoticed by small animals searching for their food on the ground.
Range, habitats
These nimble carnivorous mammals They live mainly in old mixed and dark coniferous forests of Canada, Alaska, and the northern part of the USA. The habitat of American martens may become old coniferous forests from spruce, pine, others coniferous trees, as well as mixed forests of deciduous and coniferous trees, in which white pine, spruce, birch, maple and fir are found. These old forests attract martens with the abundance of fallen trees in which they prefer to roost. Currently, there is a tendency for American martens to populate young and mixed-age forests.
American marten diet
These predatory animals are provided by nature good qualities, helping them in hunting, since meat occupies a predominant place in their diet. Thus, at night, martens can successfully grab squirrels in nests, and in winter they have the opportunity to dig long tunnels under the snow in search of mouse-like rodents. Rabbits, chipmunks, partridges, frogs, other amphibians and reptiles, as well as fish and insects also serve as an excellent treat for them. Carrion and even fruits and vegetables can be included in the diet of these animals if there is insufficient animal food in the area of residence. Martens will not refuse the eggs of birds, as well as their chicks, mushrooms, seeds and honey.
This is interesting! It should be said that these animals have an excellent appetite, absorbing about 150 g of food per day, but they can get by with less.
But it also takes them a lot of effort to get the desired amount of food - martens can cover a distance of over 25 kilometers per day, making numerous jumps along tree branches and on the ground. And if the prey of martens shows the main activity in daytime, then in this case the marten can also change its regime and also hunt during the day. Large prey the marten can hide it in reserve.
Natural enemies
Natural enemies of the American marten can be larger predatory animals and birds. However, humans pose a great danger to the lives of these animals due to their influence on nature and hunting for fur.
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 cervical vertebrae victims. 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, slim body covered in sparkling, 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. Puberty they begin at 15-24 months, and the birth of cubs is usually at 3 years. Males do not take any part in raising offspring.