Emily Chan
You’ll never find a more agile and adorable creature than the pine marten! The pine marten is in the Mustelidae family, making them related to mink, weasels, otters, and badgers. Pine martens live in woodland areas and like to jump around in trees. They are mostly found across Europe.
The pine marten population has experienced a sharp decline in Britain, so they have become an endangered species. But luckily, due to conservation efforts, they have been increasing in numbers in recent years.
Pine martens are slender creatures with pointed faces and bushy tails. They are similar in size to your average house cat, reaching lengths of 25 to 31 inches and weighing between two to five pounds. They have soft, brown fur, small round ears, and sharp teeth for tearing into meat.
Additionally, these animals have powerful claws, which give them amazing tree-climbing abilities and allow them to hunt their prey easily.
Overall, the carnivorous marten prefers to eat rodents, rabbits, birds, and squirrels. They also forage for honey, insects, berries, seeds, worms, and eggs. In the wild, their average lifespan is eight years.
It’s tough to spot a pine marten. They stay away from roadsides, concealing themselves deep in the forest in areas that receive a lot of snowfall.
They also tend to be active in the early mornings or late evenings, so unless you happen to be traipsing through the wilderness at those times of day, you probably won’t see one out and about.
Pine martens find hollow trees, spaces underneath rocks, or birds’ nests to make their homes. In the winter, they burrow under snow piles for warmth.
They even have fur on the soles of their wide feet that act like snowshoes, which keep them warm and help them travel through deep snow more efficiently.
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