Marten

American Marten, Pine Marten

Martens are members of the weasel family. They are about the same size as a cat (21-26 in from nose to tip of tail) with a long, slender body, short legs, a triangular head, and a long, bushy tail. They have a gray head, a light brown back, dark brown legs and tail, and a cream-colored patch on their chest.

Solitary inhabitants of the northern evergreen forests of Alaska and Canada as well as the mountainous areas of the northern United States, Martens are active in winter. They are good climbers and spend much of their time in trees. They often make their nest in a tree where 2-4 young are born in March or April.

Could it be? Minks are a similar size but spend most of their time in or near water. Fishers are twice the size of Martens and don't usually have a chest patch.

Did you know? Martens have large foot pads that help them to walk on deep snow in winter. They also grow longer hair between their foot pads in winter, which helps to keep their feet warm.

See Also: 13-lined Ground Squirrel, Bushy-tailed Woodrat, Least Chipmunk, Marmot, Pika, Red-tailed Chipmunk, Richardson's Ground Squirrel, Squirrel, Weasel, Yellow-pine Chipmunk

Hard - can be difficult to spot. They may be few in number or not readily visible (for example, underground).

Forests are large areas of trees growing close together.

Mountains are very high areas of land with steep sides leading to a peak. They are often connected to other mountains as part of a mountain range.