American marten Facts
American marten Facts
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| Interesting American marten Facts: |
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| American martens can reach 1.5 to 2.2 feet in length and 1.1 to 3.1 pounds of weight. Males are larger than females. |
| Color of the fur depends on the geographic location. It ranges from yellowish and light brown to nearly black. Face is usually grey-colored. Legs and tail are darker than the rest of the body. Throat is covered with creamy or orange-colored fur. |
| American martens have triangular head with pointed muzzle, large eyes and cat-like ears. They have slender body, short legs with curved claws and bushy tail. |
| American martens are agile climbers and good swimmers, but they spend most of their lives on the ground. |
| American martens are nocturnal animals (active during the night). |
| American martens are omnivores (they eat plants and meat). Their diet is based on mice, squirrels, hares, small birds, reptiles, insects, fruit and nuts. |
| American martens are able to dig tunnels and move through the snow during the winter to find food. |
| Natural enemies of American martens are wolves, coyotes, bobcats, foxes and birds of prey. |
| American martens are territorial animals. Males live on a territory of 0.04 to 6.1 square miles, while females occupy territory of 0.04 to 3.1 square miles. |
| American martens communicate via sounds (huffs, chuckles and screams) and visual cues (body postures). |
| American martens are solitary animals except during the mating season which takes place from June to August. Males aggressively fight for the attention of females (their heads and shoulders are often covered with scars). |
| Females are able to postpone pregnancy (development of embryo) for up to 200 days. Pregnancy lasts 28 days and ends with 1 to 5 kits (babies). Females use hollow logs, piles of rocks or abandoned nests of squirrels as natal dens. |
| Babies are naked, blind and helpless at birth. Mother takes care of the babies on her own. Young American martens depend on the mother's milk during the first 42 days of their life. |
| American martens reach adult size at the age of 3.5 months, but they stay with their mother few more months. They reach sexual maturity at the age of one year. Males start to reproduce at the age of 2 years. |
| American martens live up to 15 years in the captivity and much shorter in the wild. |
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