A marten is a
weasel-like mammal in the
genus ''Martes'' within the
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Guloninae, in the
family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile
claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species; it is valued by
animal trappers for the
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
. Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in the
taiga, which inhabit
conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
ous and northern
deciduous forests across the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
.
Classification
Results of
DNA research indicate that the genus ''Martes'' is
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
, with some studies placing ''Martes americana'' outside the genus and allying it with ''
Eira'' and ''
Gulo'', to form a new
New World clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
. 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 'Mearth' or in turn borrowed from the
Anglo-French and
Old French (
Latin ), itself from a
Germanic source;
cf. Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
,
Old Norse , and
Old High German and
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
. A group of martens is called a "richness."
Ecology and behaviour
Martens are
solitary animals, 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
weaned after around two months, and leave the mother to fend for themselves at about three to four months of age.
They are
omnivorous.
Cultural references
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
mittens. 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
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
. 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'', is the name of the modern
Croatian currency. A marten is depicted on the
obverse of the 1-, 2-, and 5-
kuna
Kuna may refer to:
Places
* Kuna, Idaho, a town in the United States
** Kuna Caves, a lava tube in Idaho
* Kuna Peak, a mountain in California
* , a village in the Orebić municipality, Croatia
* , a village in the Konavle municipality, Croatia ...
coins, minted since 1993, and on the reverse of the 25-kuna
commemorative coins.
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 Sabor (parliament) from 1497 until the late 18th century had a similar design.
[Ivan Bojničić-Kninski ]
Grbovnica kraljevine "Slavonije", (1895)
- PDF file (in Croatian)
Finland
The Finnish communications company
Nokia derives its name, via the river
Nokianvirta, from a type of marten locally known as the ''nokia''.
Greece
In the ''
Illiad,'' 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.
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Mammals of Asia
Mammals of Canada
Carnivorans of Europe
Mammals of North America
Extant Miocene first appearances