Martes martes

European pine marten

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Dani Kropivnik

Short Description

The European pine marten has a chestnut to dark brown fur. It is long and silky in winter and rougher and shorter in summer. Characteristic is the downward rounded, yolk-yellow to yellowish-brown throat patch. The head and ears are triangular. The ears are also yellow-tinged. It has a very long and bushy tail and very hairy soles.

The males are larger and on average one third heavier than the females.

Features

European pine marten

Martes martes
  • yellowish throat

  • brown nose

  • yellow-margined ears

Habitus (CC BY-SA 2.0) Neil Phillips

In the city

Pine martens are forest dwellers and avoid open areas. From time to time, however, they can also be observed in large parks, for example. Rarely they also stray into houses. They cross open areas along walls, hedges and woods.

Fun Facts

  • Pine martens are omnivores. They go hunting as soon as it gets dark.

  • They stock up for the cold season.

  • They can jump distances of up to four metres.

  • For roosting, they prefer tree hollows, but also bird nests, squirrel burrows and burrows in the ground.

  • On the upper lip they have long tactile hairs that react sensitively to touch and are thus well suited for orientation in the dark.

  • Endangerment level Germany: Warning list

Sources

Habitus , Dani Kropivnik, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martes_martes_crop.jpg

Habitus , Neil Phillips, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pine_Marten_in_Kent.jpg

Richarz, K. (2003) Steinbachs Naturführer. Säugetiere. Erkennen & bestimmen, Stuttgart: Verlag Eugen Ulmer.

Ineichen, S., Klausnitzer, B. & Ruckstuhl, M. (2012) Stadtfauna. 600 Tierarten unserer Städte, Bern, Stuttgart und Wien: Haupt Verlag.

Page „Baummarder“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 09.01.2017, 01:40 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baummarder&oldid=161442732 (Accessed: 09.11.2017).

Klawitter, J., Altenkamp, R., Kallasch, C., Köhler, D., Krauß, M., Rosenau, S. & Teige, T. (2005) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der Säugetiere (Mammalia) von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/saeugetiere/ (Accessed: 30.03.2021).

NABU Landesverband Nordrhein-Westfalen (2016) Der Baummarder. Martes martes, URL: https://nrw.nabu.de/natur-und-landschaft/landnutzung/jagd/jagdbare-arten/beutegreifer/05326.html (Accessed: 09.11.2017).