Marten
(Martes americana)
By John Fraley
Also known as the pine marten or American sable, the marten is a house cat–sized member of the weasel family. To Alaska’s Koyukon people, the marten is known as sooga, or “brother of the wolverine,” to which the marten is closely related. The slender but powerful marten moves phenomenally fast in trees, often catching red squirrels after high-speed chases. The nimble predator is common in northern North America, ranging from Alaska and throughout Canada to the Pacific Northwest, Intermountain West, northern Great Lake states, and New England. Similar marten subspecies live in northern Europe and Russia.
Appearance
An adult marten is roughly 20 to 30 inches long and weighs from 1 ½
to 3 pounds. Males are about one-third larger than females. The furbearer
is known for its sharply pointed face, erect ears, and bushy tail. Color
varies, but the marten’s fine, dense fur is usually light brown on
the body and dark brown to black on the tail and legs. A bright orange or
yellow patch highlights the throat and breast.
Sound
Marten are shy, and sightings are not common, but if you do spot one it will
likely hold its ground. An aggressive predator, the marten makes growling,
huffing, and scolding noises when approached by humans. Having spent much
time in northwestern Montana forests, I’ve been fortunate to see
many marten over the years. Once I was actually scolded by a marten that
seemed to consider the elk quarters I was packing out to be his property.
Food
Marten eat mostly voles and mice—which in winter they capture in snow
tunnels—as well as squirrels and snowshoe hares. They also scavenge
on deer and elk carcasses during winter and spring. In summer, this voracious
predator actually dines on berries for part of its diet.
Reproduction
Marten breed in summer. Courtship can last 15 days, during which the pair
wrestles while growling, screaming, and “chuckling” (a sound
that biologists consider a mating call). The mating process is unique and
violent. The male grabs the female’s neck with his teeth and drags
her around for 30 minutes or more before copulation, which lasts another
hour. The fertilized eggs in the female become inactive through the winter
before attaching to the wall of the uterus, where they then develop into
a fetus for two months before birth. This is known as delayed implantation.
Young (usually three) are born in April, reach adult size by late summer,
and reach sexual maturity at about one and a half years.
Habitat
Marten use a variety of forest types. Most are found in denser spruce and
fir forests, where downed timber and heavy ground cover support good numbers
of voles and mice. Marten use squirrel dens in trees, woodpecker holes,
or underground dens.
Status
Marten are on a roll in Montana. They are widely distributed throughout the
western part of the state east to the Crazy Mountains, which was their
historic distribution. According to Brian Giddings, FWP furbearer coordinator,
marten will probably do even better in the future because trees growing
after timber harvest in the 1950s and 1960s are now large enough to provide
suitable habitat.
Trapping
Giddings says that this popular furbearer is the key species in western Montana
mountain trapping and has been attracting more interest in recent years.
Trappers take roughly 1,000 marten each year. Pelts are valuable, bringing
about $25 to $40 on the fur market. Marten, also known as sable, is one
of the finest furs. In the Koyukon culture, the light, warm marten hat
is considered the ultimate symbol of good times. The creator of the world,
they believe, wore a marten hat.
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