Martes pennanti

Life History 

Photo from Wikipedia Commons

How does this organism reproduce? 

    

     The Martes pennanti reproduces sexually. Unusual for its size the gestation period for a female Marten is approximately 353 days. This is almost a year to produce a litter of three on average. After the birth of a little the female has mated again within a week. A female Marten gives birth and then she dens with her kits for several weeks, studies have shown denning periods ranging from 8 to 12 weeks. The kits stay with their mothers until they reach the age of about 150 days. After this period they kits stay within the territory or natural range of their mothers for a little longer before they finally disperse further out.

     Females reach adult weight at about 5.5 months and start breeding at 1 year old, the males take a little longer to develop, and don’t make adult weight until they are a year old. This means they aren’t able to breed until they are 2 years old.

What is a Marten Like When it is born?

     A kit fisher is born blind and almost completely without hair. They have an average birth weight of about 40 grams. It takes about 53 days for the fishers eyes to completely open and then they stay in the den until fall.

 

 

Interesting Quotes About Martens:

 

“A Marten In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush”

“Hold Your Martens”