A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus Martes within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile . The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species; it is valued by Animal trapping for the fur trade. Martens are slender, agile animals, which are adapted to living in the taiga, and inhabit and northern deciduous forests across the Northern Hemisphere.
Classification
Results of
DNA research indicate that the genus
Martes is
paraphyletic, with some studies placing
Martes americana outside the genus and allying it with
Tayra and
Gulo, to form a new
New World clade.
The genus first evolved up to seven million years ago during the
Miocene epoch.
Fossils
Several fossil martens have been described, including:
-
† Martes campestris (Pliocene)
-
† Martes wenzensis (Pliocene)
-
† Martes vetus (Pleistocene)
Another described fossil species, Martes nobilis from the Holocene, is now considered synonymous with the American marten.
Etymology
The
Modern English "marten" comes from the
Middle English martryn, in turn borrowed from the Anglo-French martrine and
Old French martre, itself from a Germanic source; cf.
Old English mearþ,
Old Norse mörðr, and Old High German and
Yiddish מאַרדאַר .
Ecology and behaviour
Martens are
, meeting only to breed in late spring or early summer. Litters of up to five blind and nearly hairless kits are born in early spring. They are
after around two months, and leave the mother to fend for themselves at about three to four months of age.
They are
omnivorous.
Spatial niche segregation
The stone marten and the pine marten segregate spatially where they occur in
sympatry. This spatial niche segregation is due to the differences regarding their food preferences, adaptability to cold climates and avoidance of predators.
The spatial niche segregation between stone and pine martens is also influenced by each species' habitat preferences and resource availability within specific ecosystems. Studies in Belarus show that the pine marten is more densely distributed in clay-rich, biodiverse woodlands, whereas the stone marten is adapted to habitats with greater resource limitations, such as sandy soils, where it relies more on seasonally available resources such as berries and carrion to meet its dietary needs.
In Ireland and Italy, the pine marten displays seasonal stability in home ranges within well-resourced habitats, suggesting that resource abundance can enhance spatial exclusivity and reduce direct competition between species.
In human culture
Canada
The marten is populous in the
northern Ontario community of Big Trout Lake. During the fur trade, commissioned by the Hudson Bay Company in the 18th and 19th centuries, the marten pelt was typically fashioned into
. The marten is still traded locally. The locals place a high value on this pelt, typically trading it for consumable goods.
Croatia
In the
Middle Ages, marten pelts were highly valued goods used as a form of payment in
Slavonia, the Croatian Littoral, and
Dalmatia. The
marturina was a form of tax named after this.
The
banovac, a coin struck and used between 1235 and 1384, included the image of a marten. This is one of the reasons why the Croatian word for marten,
kuna, was the name of the former Croatian currency.
[ Croatian National Bank. First Money — History of the Croatian Currency : Kuna and lipa — the Croatian Currency. – Retrieved on 31 March 2009.] A marten is depicted on the obverse of the 1-, 2-, and 5-
Croatian kuna coins, minted since 1993, and on the reverse of the 25-kuna commemorative coins.
[ Croatian National Bank. Kuna and Lipa, Coins of Croatia : 1 Kuna Coin , 2 Kuna Coin , 5 Kuna Coin , & Commemorative 25 Kuna Coins in Circulation . – Retrieved on 31 March 2009.] With adoption of euro as the national currency in 2023, a marten continues to be depicted on the obverse of the Croatian 1 euro coin.
A running marten is shown on the coat of arms of Slavonia and subsequently on the modern design of the coat of arms of Croatia. The official seal of the Croatian Parliament from 1497 until the late 18th century had a similar design.[Ivan Bojničić-Kninski – Grbovnica kraljevine "Slavonije", (1895) – PDF .]
Finland
The Finnish communications company
Nokia derives its name, via the river
Nokianvirta, from a type of marten locally known as the
nokia.
[ Story of Nokia, retrieved on the 17 July 2013]
Greece
In the
Iliad, the fleet-footed spy Dolon wore a marten-pelt cap.
Italy
The Latin word for helmet, galea
, originally meant "marten pelt", although it is unclear whether early Romans wore these helmets for symbolical reasons or for their fine fur.
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