A pair of Pine Martens (Martes martes)




Photo by Steve Carter.

Pine martens were widespread as little as 200 years ago, but are now very rare in Britain. These agile cat-sized mammals have dense, lustrous chocolate-brown fur and a distinctive creamy-yellow patch on their chest and throat. They are elusive, solitary creatures that are mostly active at night. They are very skilled climbers and spend much of their time in the trees moving quickly between the treetops.

During the day, they rest on branches high above the ground, in burrows, amongst rocks or in birds' nests. They are also strong swimmers and the only British mammal that can out-swim them is the otter. They have large territories, which they mark with their droppings. These are often left in prominent places on top of rocks or logs as a sign to other roaming pine martens.

Breeding:

Mating occurs in late summer and females usually give birth to 2 kittens in April or May the following year. The young are blind and helpless at first and grow slowly. Their eyes only open when they are 6 weeks old and they leave the den when they are about 4 months old. Pine martens only start reproducing at the age of 3, so they are slow to breed.

Diet:

Mostly voles and mice but also rabbits, small birds, birds' eggs, berries, beetles and grubs.

Habitat:

Ideally a combination of mature woodland and rough grassland, which provides shelter, protection and food.

Predators & threats:

Few natural predators. Pine martens were persecuted by humans in the early 19th century and were almost wiped out in England and Wales.

Status & distribution:

Pine martens are now rare. They were formerly widely distributed in Britain but are now mostly confined to Galloway and the northwest of Scotland. A few scattered individuals are thought to survive in the north of England and north Wales.

Did you know?...

Pine martens can leap up to 4 metres from tree to tree. They can also fall 20 metres to the ground (higher than a house!) and still land on their feet, unhurt.