The stone marten , or the whitefish [1] ( lat. Martes foina ), is a carnivorous mammal from the mustelidae family ( Mustelidae ). It is the most common marten in Europe and the only species of marten, not afraid to live next to a person.
| Stone marten |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Martes foina
Erxleben , 1777 |
| Area |
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| Security status |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 29672 |
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Content
The build of the stone marten is usual for a kind, with an elongated slender body and relatively short limbs. The tail is quite long and fluffy. It differs from the pine marten in the shape and color of the cervical spot. In the stone marten, it is white and bifurcated, and can also extend to the forepaws, while in the pine marten it is yellowish and round. However, in some Asian populations of stone marten, the cervical spot may be completely absent. The coat of these animals is painted in gray-brown shades and is rather tough. Other differences from the pine marten are a light nose and feet not covered with wool. In addition, the stone marten is somewhat smaller, but heavier than its close relative. These animals reach a body length of 40 to 55 cm and a tail length of 22 to 30 cm. The weight of the stone marten ranges from 1.1 to 2.3 kg.
Stone marten inhabits most of Eurasia . Its range extends from the Iberian Peninsula to Mongolia and the Himalayas . In the US state of Wisconsin introduced specifically for fur hunting.
This is the only representative of the genus that does not live exclusively in forests. She prefers an open area with shrubs and individual trees, often a rocky landscape, which is reflected in her name. In the mountains, stone marten is found up to an altitude of 4000 m above sea level. She is not afraid to appear near settlements and is often found in parks, sheds and attics .
Stone martens on the image of the XIX century
In the coat of arms of the
Ufa province ,
1878 Stone martens are active mainly at night, and during the day they hide in their shelters. Natural shelters for them are crevices of rocks, piles of stones and abandoned structures of other animals (stone martens themselves do not build and dig them). Near the settlements, stone martens are often used for this attics or stables. Nests are lined with hair, feathers or plant material. At night, stone martens go in search of prey, moving at the same time mainly on the ground. Although the stone marten can climb trees well, she rarely does it.
Like most martens, stone martens lead a solitary lifestyle and avoid contact with their relatives outside the mating season. Each individual has an individual territory, which she marks with a special secret and protects from other stone martens of her sex. The area of individual plots can fluctuate, but as a rule it is smaller than that of a pine marten. It can range from 12 to 210 hectares and depends, inter alia, on sex (males are larger than females), on the season (in winter the plot is reduced compared to summer) and on the presence of prey in it.
Stone martens are omnivores that eat primarily meat . They prey on small mammals (for example, rodents or rabbits ), birds and their eggs , frogs , insects and others. In summer, an important part of their nutrition is plant foods, which include berries and fruits . Sometimes stone martens penetrate into chicken coops or pigeons. The panic throwing of birds causes a predatory reflex in them, forcing them to kill all possible prey, even if its number far exceeds what they are able to eat.
Mating takes place in the summer months from June to August, but due to the conservation of the seed in the body of the female, the offspring is born only in the spring (from March to April). Thus, eight months pass between mating and childbirth, while pregnancy itself lasts only one month. At one time, as a rule, three or four cubs are born, who at the beginning are blind and naked. After a month, they first open their eyes, a month later they wean from milk nutrition, and in the fall they become independent. Puberty occurs between the ages of 15 and 27 months. The average life expectancy in the wild is three years, the most successful individuals live up to ten years. In captivity, stone martens live longer and survived to 18 years.
Stone Marten and Domestic Cat
Stone marten at the eagle's nest
Stone marten is sometimes hunted for its fur, however, on a more modest scale than is done with respect to pine marten, since stone marten fur is considered less valuable. She is also chased as a “pest” that enters chicken coops or rabbit pens. Stone martens are known for biting cables and hoses in cars and causing significant damage. The reason for this behavior is the residual heat of the motor and its smell acting on stone martens is attractive . There they like to leave odor marks. As a rule, the damage is caused not by the first animal that has left its mark under the hood, but by the other who is trying to relabel the territory. For this reason, martens cause damage mainly to those cars that were parked at night. Various remedies exist on the market to protect against martens, and sometimes home remedies such as dog hair also help.
Stone martens in most of the range are very numerous and not endangered. In many countries they can be legally hunted.
- ↑ Sokolov V.E. The pagan dictionary of animal names. Mammals Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., 1984. - S. 99. - 10,000 copies.
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
