Discreet hunter: The marten is the animal of the year!

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A relative of mouse ferrets and stoats, it is at home in forest edge areas and lush coastal areas with stagnant and flowing water. However, it can also be found in residential areas and agricultural areas. But he can only survive there if he finds plenty of hiding places and migration corridors. Flattened water bodies, open spaces and “tidy” landscapes are terrifying to him because the marten lives vigilantly in the protection of shelters and hiding places. The animal of the year also supports Switzerland’s dwindling biodiversity and natural habitats.

The marten can be distinguished from other mustelids by its light-coloured facial mask and dark eye contour, light-coloured nose and whitish ear rims. Their thin bodies are dark colored, but their undercoat is light colored.

solo traveler

Martens are solitary animals outside the mating season. Their range is between half a square kilometer and several square kilometres, depending on food supply. They search for frogs, toads and other small animals in their territory. Their sense of hearing and smell are excellent and they rely solely on them when hunting. The tiny predators can also swim and dive very well. When an area is “vacated” they continue to forage. In autumn, martens eat up to a third of their own weight as fat reserves. Their fur is too thin and their food supply too poor to allow them to travel any further than necessary in the winter. During this time, the marten also likes to take shelter in a quiet corner of a barn or barn.

My mom does it alone

In the spring, martens give up their solitary lives for a short time; The mating season is between April and June. Males try to capture females. If the chosen one allows himself to be bitten on the neck, “foreplay” occurs: as a result of the bite, the vixen falls into a “state of prolapse”, a state of relaxation in which she is completely motionless. The Conqueror then drags them like this for an hour until mating occurs. But raising the young is entirely the female’s responsibility: After a six-week gestation period, she gives birth to three to six young animals that are initially blind and have white fur. After two months, the young leave the nest; They are now as big as the mother, and the young males are even bigger. At one year old, the cub becomes sexually mature.

Source : Blick