The European pine marten's fur is usually light to dark brown. It is short and coarse in the summer, growing longer and silkier during the winter. It has a cream- to yellow-coloured "bib" marking on its throat. Its body is up to 53 cm (21 in) long, with a bushy tail of about 25 cm (10 in). Males are slightly larger than females; typically, it weighs around 1.5–1.7 kg (3.3–3.7 lb). It has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The European pine marten inhabits well-wooded areas.
In England, pine martens were long considered to be extinct. Analysis of a scat found at Kidland Forest in Northumberland in June 2010 may represent either a recolonisation from Scotland, or a relict population that has escaped notice previously.[7] There have been numerous reported sightings of pine martens in Cumbria, however, it was not until 2011 that concrete proof—some scat that was DNA-tested—was found,[8] followed in October 2022 by images being captured of a pine marten in Grizedale Forest.[9] In July 2015, the first confirmed sighting of a pine marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in woodland in Shropshire.[10] Sightings have continued in this area, and juveniles were recorded in 2019, indicating a breeding population.[11] In July 2017, footage of a live pine marten was captured by a camera trap in the North York Moors in Yorkshire.[12][13] In March 2018 the first ever footage of a pine marten in Northumberland was captured by the Back from the Brink pine marten project.[14] In September 2022, the first pine marten to be seen in London in a century was spotted by the Zoological Society of London's wildlife cameras as part of a hedgehog monitoring program.[15]
There is a small population of pine martens in Wales. Scat found in Cwm Rheidol forest in 2007 was confirmed by DNA testing to be from a pine marten. A male was found in 2012 as road kill near Newtown, Powys. This was the first confirmation in Wales of the species, living or dead, since 1971.[16] The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) has begun a reinforcement of these mammals in the mid-Wales area. During autumn 2015, 20 pine martens were captured in Scotland, in areas where a healthy pine marten population occurs, under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage. These animals were translocated and released in an area of mid-Wales. All of the martens were fitted with radio collars and are being tracked daily to monitor their movements and find out where they have set up territories. During autumn 2016, the VWT planned to capture and release another 20 pine martens in the hope of creating a self-sustaining population.[17]
The marten is still quite rare in Ireland, but the population is recovering and spreading; its traditional strongholds are in the west and south, especially the Burren and Killarney National Park, but the population in the Midlands has significantly increased in recent years.[18] A study managed by academics at Queen's University Belfast, using cameras and citizen scientists, published in 2015, showed that pine martens were distributed across all counties of Northern Ireland.[19]
Behaviour and ecology
Tracks on mud
Tracks in snow
Martens are the only mustelids with semiretractable claws. This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles, such as climbing or running on tree branches, although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground. They are mainly active at night and dusk. They have small, rounded, highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects, frogs, and carrion. They have also been known to eat berries, birds' eggs, nuts, and honey. The European pine marten is territorial and marks its home range by depositing feces. Its scat is black and twisted.[5] The diet of the pine marten includes small mammals, carrion, birds, insects, and fruits.
The recovery of the European pine marten in Ireland has been credited with reducing the population of invasive grey squirrels.[20] Where the range of the expanding European pine marten population meets that of the grey squirrel, the population of the grey squirrels quickly retreats and the red squirrel population recovers. Because the grey squirrel spends more time on the ground than the red squirrel, which co-evolved with the pine marten, they are thought to be far more likely to come in contact with this predator.[21]
Lifespan
The European pine marten has lived to 18 years in captivity, but the maximum age recorded in the wild is only 11 years, with 3–4 years being more typical. They reach sexual maturity at 2–3 years of age. Copulation usually occurs on the ground and can last more than 1 hour.[22] Mating occurs in July and August but the fertilized egg does not enter the uterus for about 7 months. The young are usually born in late March or early April after a month-long gestation period that happens after the implantation of the fertilized egg, in litters of one to five.[4] Young European pine martens weigh around 30 grams (1.1 oz) at birth. The young begin to emerge from their dens around 7–8 weeks after birth and are able to disperse from the den around 12–16 weeks after their birth.
Threats
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martes martes.
Although they are preyed upon occasionally by golden eagles, red foxes, wolves, and wildcats, humans are the largest threat to European pine martens. They are vulnerable from conflict with humans, arising from predator control for other species, or following predation of livestock and the use of inhabited buildings for denning. Martens may also be affected by woodland loss, which results in habitat loss for the animal.[6] Persecution (illegal poisoning and shooting), loss of habitat leading to fragmentation, and other human disturbances have caused a considerable decline in the European pine marten population. They are also prized for their very fine fur in some areas. In the UK, European pine martens and their dens are offered full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990.[23]
References
^ abHerrero, J.; Kranz, A.; Skumatov, D.; Abramov, A.V.; Maran, T.; Monakhov, V.G. (2016). "Martes martes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T12848A45199169. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T12848A45199169.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Definition of 'baum marten'". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
^"Definition of 'sweet marten'". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
^ abCroose, E.; Birks, J.D.S.; Schofield, H.W. (2013). (PDF) (Commissioned Report). Vol. 520. Vincent Wildlife Trust; Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
^"Rare pine marten captured on camera in Yorkshire". BBC News. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^"First ever images of pine marten in Yorkshire". NatureSpy. 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
^"Rare pine marten captured on camera in Northumberland". Northumberland Gazette. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^"Endangered pine marten spotted in London for the first time in 100 years". BBC Science Focus Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
^McCarthy, Michael (8 November 2012). "'Extinct' animal turns up in Wales as roadside carcass proves elusive pine martens still exist". The Independent. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^"Pine Marten Recovery Projects". Vincent Wildlife Trust. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
^Kelleher, Lynn (4 March 2013). "Red squirrels make comeback as pine martens prey on greys". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^Macauley, Connor (6 July 2015). "QUB study shows pine martens are more common in NI than thought". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^Sheehy, E.; Lawton, C. (2014). "Population crash in an invasive species following the recovery of a native predator: the case of the American grey squirrel and the European pine marten in Ireland". Biodiversity and Conservation. 23 (3): 753–774. doi:10.1007/s10531-014-0632-7. S2CID 10449048.
^"The Pine Marten: FAQs". Pine Marten Recovery Project. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
^Forder, V. (2006). "Mating behaviour in captive pine martens Martes martes" (PDF). Wildwood Trust. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
^. ARKive. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
european, pine, marten, pine, marten, redirects, here, north, american, pine, marten, american, marten, newfoundland, subspecies, newfoundland, pine, marten, martes, martes, also, known, pine, marten, mustelid, native, widespread, most, europe, asia, minor, ca. Pine marten redirects here For the North American pine marten see American marten For the Newfoundland subspecies see Newfoundland pine marten The European pine marten Martes martes also known as the pine marten is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe Asia Minor the Caucasus and parts of Iran Iraq and Syria It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List 1 It is less commonly also known as baum marten 2 or sweet marten 3 European pine martenConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder CarnivoraFamily MustelidaeGenus MartesSpecies M martesBinomial nameMartes martes Linnaeus 1758 European pine marten range green native red introduced SynonymsMustela martes Linnaeus 1758 Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 2 1 UK and The Republic of Ireland 3 Behaviour and ecology 3 1 Lifespan 4 Threats 5 References 6 Further readingDescription Edit Skull of a European pine marten The European pine marten s fur is usually light to dark brown It is short and coarse in the summer growing longer and silkier during the winter It has a cream to yellow coloured bib marking on its throat Its body is up to 53 cm 21 in long with a bushy tail of about 25 cm 10 in Males are slightly larger than females typically it weighs around 1 5 1 7 kg 3 3 3 7 lb It has excellent senses of sight smell and hearing 4 Distribution and habitat EditThe European pine marten inhabits well wooded areas UK and The Republic of Ireland Edit Pine marten at the British Wildlife Centre In Great Britain the species was for many years common only in northwestern Scotland 5 A study in 2012 found that martens have spread from their Scottish Highlands stronghold north into Sutherland and Caithness and southeastwards from the Great Glen into Moray Aberdeenshire Perthshire Tayside and Stirlingshire with some in the Central Belt on the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas and on Skye and Mull The expansion in the Galloway Forest has been limited compared with that in the core marten range Martens were reintroduced to the Glen Trool Forest in the early 1980s and only restricted spread has occurred from there 6 This may be due to ongoing persecution and trapping by local gamekeepers In England pine martens were long considered to be extinct Analysis of a scat found at Kidland Forest in Northumberland in June 2010 may represent either a recolonisation from Scotland or a relict population that has escaped notice previously 7 There have been numerous reported sightings of pine martens in Cumbria however it was not until 2011 that concrete proof some scat that was DNA tested was found 8 followed in October 2022 by images being captured of a pine marten in Grizedale Forest 9 In July 2015 the first confirmed sighting of a pine marten in England for over a century was recorded by an amateur photographer in woodland in Shropshire 10 Sightings have continued in this area and juveniles were recorded in 2019 indicating a breeding population 11 In July 2017 footage of a live pine marten was captured by a camera trap in the North York Moors in Yorkshire 12 13 In March 2018 the first ever footage of a pine marten in Northumberland was captured by the Back from the Brink pine marten project 14 In September 2022 the first pine marten to be seen in London in a century was spotted by the Zoological Society of London s wildlife cameras as part of a hedgehog monitoring program 15 There is a small population of pine martens in Wales Scat found in Cwm Rheidol forest in 2007 was confirmed by DNA testing to be from a pine marten A male was found in 2012 as road kill near Newtown Powys This was the first confirmation in Wales of the species living or dead since 1971 16 The Vincent Wildlife Trust VWT has begun a reinforcement of these mammals in the mid Wales area During autumn 2015 20 pine martens were captured in Scotland in areas where a healthy pine marten population occurs under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage These animals were translocated and released in an area of mid Wales All of the martens were fitted with radio collars and are being tracked daily to monitor their movements and find out where they have set up territories During autumn 2016 the VWT planned to capture and release another 20 pine martens in the hope of creating a self sustaining population 17 The marten is still quite rare in Ireland but the population is recovering and spreading its traditional strongholds are in the west and south especially the Burren and Killarney National Park but the population in the Midlands has significantly increased in recent years 18 A study managed by academics at Queen s University Belfast using cameras and citizen scientists published in 2015 showed that pine martens were distributed across all counties of Northern Ireland 19 Behaviour and ecology Edit Tracks on mud Tracks in snow Martens are the only mustelids with semiretractable claws This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles such as climbing or running on tree branches although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground They are mainly active at night and dusk They have small rounded highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals birds insects frogs and carrion They have also been known to eat berries birds eggs nuts and honey The European pine marten is territorial and marks its home range by depositing feces Its scat is black and twisted 5 The diet of the pine marten includes small mammals carrion birds insects and fruits The recovery of the European pine marten in Ireland has been credited with reducing the population of invasive grey squirrels 20 Where the range of the expanding European pine marten population meets that of the grey squirrel the population of the grey squirrels quickly retreats and the red squirrel population recovers Because the grey squirrel spends more time on the ground than the red squirrel which co evolved with the pine marten they are thought to be far more likely to come in contact with this predator 21 Lifespan Edit The European pine marten has lived to 18 years in captivity but the maximum age recorded in the wild is only 11 years with 3 4 years being more typical They reach sexual maturity at 2 3 years of age Copulation usually occurs on the ground and can last more than 1 hour 22 Mating occurs in July and August but the fertilized egg does not enter the uterus for about 7 months The young are usually born in late March or early April after a month long gestation period that happens after the implantation of the fertilized egg in litters of one to five 4 Young European pine martens weigh around 30 grams 1 1 oz at birth The young begin to emerge from their dens around 7 8 weeks after birth and are able to disperse from the den around 12 16 weeks after their birth Threats Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martes martes Although they are preyed upon occasionally by golden eagles red foxes wolves and wildcats humans are the largest threat to European pine martens They are vulnerable from conflict with humans arising from predator control for other species or following predation of livestock and the use of inhabited buildings for denning Martens may also be affected by woodland loss which results in habitat loss for the animal 6 Persecution illegal poisoning and shooting loss of habitat leading to fragmentation and other human disturbances have caused a considerable decline in the European pine marten population They are also prized for their very fine fur in some areas In the UK European pine martens and their dens are offered full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 23 References Edit a b Herrero J Kranz A Skumatov D Abramov A V Maran T Monakhov V G 2016 Martes martes IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 e T12848A45199169 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2016 1 RLTS T12848A45199169 en Retrieved 19 November 2021 Definition of baum marten Collins Dictionary Retrieved 2 February 2019 Definition of sweet marten Collins Dictionary Retrieved 2 February 2019 a b Pine marten Trees for Life Scotland Retrieved 4 June 2022 a b Pine marten Vincent Wildlife Trust 12 March 2015 Retrieved 10 March 2018 a b Croose E Birks J D S Schofield H W 2013 Expansion zone survey of pine marten Martes martes distribution in Scotland Project no 13645 PDF Commissioned Report Vol 520 Vincent Wildlife Trust Scottish Natural Heritage Archived from the original PDF on 3 May 2015 Retrieved 18 August 2013 Found at last pine marten rediscovered in Northumberland Northumberland Wildlife Trust 1 July 2010 Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 Retrieved 10 March 2018 Pine Marten rediscovered in Cumbria after 10 years Wild Travel Magazine May 2011 Archived from the original on 18 October 2014 Retrieved 14 October 2014 First Grizedale Forest pine marten in 10 years caught on camera BBC News 30 September 2022 Shropshire pine marten sighting is the first in a century BBC News 16 July 2015 Retrieved 4 June 2022 Shropshire Pine Marten Project Shropshire Wildlife Trust Retrieved 4 June 2022 Rare pine marten captured on camera in Yorkshire BBC News 7 August 2017 Retrieved 4 June 2022 First ever images of pine marten in Yorkshire NatureSpy 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2018 Rare pine marten captured on camera in Northumberland Northumberland Gazette 20 March 2018 Retrieved 31 July 2018 Endangered pine marten spotted in London for the first time in 100 years BBC Science Focus Magazine Retrieved 2022 09 13 McCarthy Michael 8 November 2012 Extinct animal turns up in Wales as roadside carcass proves elusive pine martens still exist The Independent Retrieved 4 June 2022 Pine Marten Recovery Projects Vincent Wildlife Trust 9 May 2015 Retrieved 10 March 2018 Kelleher Lynn 4 March 2013 Red squirrels make comeback as pine martens prey on greys Irish Independent Retrieved 4 June 2022 Macauley Connor 6 July 2015 QUB study shows pine martens are more common in NI than thought BBC News Retrieved 4 June 2022 Sheehy E Lawton C 2014 Population crash in an invasive species following the recovery of a native predator the case of the American grey squirrel and the European pine marten in Ireland Biodiversity and Conservation 23 3 753 774 doi 10 1007 s10531 014 0632 7 S2CID 10449048 The Pine Marten FAQs Pine Marten Recovery Project Retrieved 31 March 2018 Forder V 2006 Mating behaviour in captive pine martens Martes martes PDF Wildwood Trust Retrieved 10 March 2018 Pine marten Martes martes ARKive Archived from the original on 24 March 2010 Retrieved 18 August 2013 Further reading EditMacdonald David W 2001 Mammals of Europe Princeton University Press ISBN 978 06910 9 160 0 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title European pine marten amp oldid 1129784946, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
