If you were asked to name some fierce North American predators, you might come up with the coyote, grizzly bear, wolves and mountain lions right away; but chances are the American Marten would escape you. For one thing, you’ve probably never heard of — let alone seen — this elusive mammal; and if you did, you’d hardly expect this cuddly-looking creature with a cute face and over-sized paws to be capable of killing.
Yet the elusive American marten is a skillful hunter; although it was nearly hunted to extinction 100 years ago for its luxurious pelt.
What is the American marten?
American martens are members of the weasel (Mustelid) family, which also includes otters, minks, fishers and badgers. They can grow up to about 17 inches long, with their bushy tails adding another seven to nine inches to their length.
While several marten species inhabit forests worldwide, the American marten is present across Canada, into Alaska and the Rocky Mountains in California, with lighter populations in northern states like Michigan, Minnesota, Maine and Wisconsin.
Like most mustelids, the American marten is considered a mesopredator, an important member of the ecosystem for controlling the population of small herbivores. The martens’ sharp, retractable claws help them snag their prey and climb trees.
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Martens have a special preference for red squirrels, which they can pursue through the treetops and snatch out of mid-air. But they are equally adept at zipping through the understory and tunneling through snow after smaller prey like mice and voles. They are not strict carnivores, however; they can feed on fruit, nuts and seeds, and even carrion when rodents are scarce.
With their relatively broad feet, they can glide over thick snow and tunnel through it equally well. While they do not burrow in the ground, martens often seek shelter from the cold beneath the snow. They typically form dens in hollowed trees or other natural cavities.
Shadowy weasel
Due to over-hunting in the past, the American marten is considered extirpated (locally extinct) in many regions, but some localities have attempted to re-introduce the valuable mesopredator. For many years, the 1989 efforts in Green Mountain National Forest in southern Vermont were deemed unsuccessful.
But, in 2010, several martens were caught in fisher traps close by. Researchers were able to trace their lineage back to the martens introduced in 1989.
“So, for over twenty years martens lived in the Green Mountain National Forest without any confirmed records of their existence,” Cody Alyward, former PhD candidate in the department of wildlife, fish and conservation biology at the University of California Davis, told HowStuffWorks in 2022.
What makes martens so hard to find?
Martens typically make their homes in deep and dense areas of the forests — places that collect a lot of snowfall, and are isolated from roads and fields. Humans generally find it difficult to navigate through their territory.
They are also mainly active during dawn or dusk, before or after we would normally be out in the woods. With their sleek and agile bodies, they can hop through trees and burrow under the snow without a sound. Even if one is close by, it would most likely disappear before you knew it.
Like most mustelids, martens are territorial, solitary creatures, only coming together during mating season. This means the population in any given area would usually be “one,” seriously limiting your chances for a sighting. They are curious creatures, however. Perhaps if you sat very still for a long while, deep in the forest, one might show up to check you out.
Are they endangered?
Despite the scarcity of sightings, American martens are relatively abundant in specific regions, with stable populations in Ontario, Minnesota, and the Adirondack region of New York. They are considered vulnerable in Michigan, endangered in Wisconsin, and extirpated from North Dakota and New Jersey.
Threats to martens include habitat loss due to logging, legal and illegal trapping, and reduced genetic diversity due to isolated populations. To prevent such fragmentation, conservationists are developing “habitat corridors” — protected pathways that allow martens to migrate safely between isolated marten habitats. These corridors are vital for ensuring the long-term resilience of the species.
