What is european pine marten?
Pine marten (scientific name: Martes martes): The average body length is 53 cm and the tail length is 25 cm. Male mink are slightly larger than female mink. Changes in body size vary by distribution area. Dimorphism also occurs in body size, with males approximately 12-30% larger than females. There is a creamy white to yellow bib on the throat. The thorax to the lower abdomen is pale gray, and the paws are dark. The tail is long and bushy and fluffy. The fur of pine mink is tough and soft, with a fine fleece, thick and silky in winter and short and rough in summer.
Inhabits grassy areas and will nest in tree burrows or bushes. They are mainly active at night or at dusk. Omnivorous, it mainly eats mammals, birds, insects, and also eats strawberries, bird eggs, nuts and honey. Wild pine mink life expectancy is 8-10 years old. Pine marten is mainly distributed in central and northern Europe, with small populations in southern Scotland and sporadic records in Wales.
What does european pine marten look like?
The pine marten is a medium-sized carnivore, about the size of a domestic cat, with a head length of 46-54 cm, a tail length of 22-26 cm, and a weight of 1-2.2 kg. Male mink are slightly larger than female mink. Changes in body size vary by distribution area. Dimorphism also occurs in body size, with males approximately 12-30% larger than females. There is a creamy white to yellow bib on the throat. The thorax to the lower abdomen is pale gray, and the paws are dark. The tail is long and bushy and fluffy. Fur pine mink is tough and soft, with a fine fleece, thick and silky in winter and short and rough in summer. The fur is light to dark brown, gradually becoming longer and lighter in winter. In winter the soles of the paws are completely covered with fur. The cubs grow into adult fur in the first winter after birth, and change their coats completely every spring. The fur growing season is from September to winter. The ears are relatively large and triangular. There are odor glands near the anus, which can emit odor to drive the enemy and defend itself.
living habits of european pine marten
Pine marten will nest in tree dens or bushes. Mainly active at night or at dusk. Their claws can be semi-contracted, allowing them to live in trees. Tree cavities are the preferred nesting sites, and a family has several nests within their roosting range. In winter, tree nests are abandoned in cold ambient temperatures, choosing rock crevices as hiding places. Mink more frequently choose to roost underground.
Territorial awareness is strong, and the odors emitted by the scent glands in the abdomen and anus mark the territory and range of activities. Males will successfully defend their territory, and the females they mate with also have a range of territory, and the size of the family range territory varies widely. Obviously, males have larger territories than females and will overlap with those of one or more of the females. However, the males’ respective territories usually do not overlap. According to the researchers’ measurements, the average territory of males is 23 square kilometers and that of females is 6.5 square kilometers. It is also estimated that the territory of males is only 2.2 square kilometers and that of females is 1.5 square kilometers. In the habitat range of most populations, seasonal effects were large, with fall/winter ranges 8-54% smaller than spring/summer ranges. Differences in this range are also reflected in the distance covered by males at night, and ranges can overlap within high species distribution densities.
Omnivorous, food types vary at different times of the year, depending on the seasonality of the food source. Diet composition and proportions tend to change according to the season and local conditions. The breeding season of mink is its unique rodent eradication cycle. At this time, the amount of capture is greatly increased, mainly catching voles. Their teeth can eat small mammals, birds, insects, frogs and carrion. In autumn, they eat strawberries, bird eggs, nuts and honey. They are territorial and leave feces at borders. Pine ferrets bite the plastic parts of vehicles in order to sharpen or clean their teeth.
european pine marten rearing
European pine martens must pay attention to their diet when raising them. European pine martens are omnivores and mainly feed on mammals, birds and insects. However, you can also buy some strawberries or bird eggs for European pine martens to eat, which are very good. s Choice.
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