| Geographic Range |
Central and southern Europe (excluding Scandinavia,
England, Iceland), North America. |
| Physical Characteristics |
the fur is reddish-brown, with the exception
of the throat and of the breast which are white. The sole of the paws has
no hair, the nose is flesh colour. The tail is long and thick, the ears
have a white margin. The stone marten can open its small mouth so wide that
the jaw and the mandible can form a right angle and it can carry big prey
and eggs without breaking them. |
| Behaviour |
it is solitary; it is a good climber, active
most of all at night when it goes out to hunt. During the mating season,
which occurs from between July and August, it is very noisy. It owns odoriferous
glands located on the paws, on its belly and in the anal region with which
it marks the territory. It moves leaping, leaving a series of parallel paw
prints in which the trace of back paws coincides with that of the front
ones. |
| Habitat |
cultivated areas, deciduous woods, anthropized
environments. |
| Food habits |
its diet changes according to the seasons
and consists mainly of rodents, bird eggs, berries, insects, small birds.
|
| Reproduction |
it reaches sexual maturity at the age of 2-3
years. It reproduces in July-August, but the development of the egg begins
only in January-February; as a consequence, the young (from two to four)
are born in March-April. After their birth the male is sent away by the
female. The young are born naked and blind, they open their eyes at the
end of the week. The female looks after the young (which become independent
after three months, when they reach the adult size) for 6-8 weeks. The nest
is built also in the nests abandoned by other animals and in the hollows
of the trees. |
Martes foina
