Fun Pine Marten Facts For Kids

What is a pine marten? The pine marten is a cat-sized member of the weasel family. It is a mustelid native to and widely present in Northern Europe wooded areas. Their population is spread across the woodland and forest regions of Britain and Ireland. It is also less commonly known as Baum marten or sweet marten. It has a creamy-to-yellow-colored 'bib' marking on its throat.

Pine martens are quick runners on the ground and are active at night and dusk. They have small and rounded but highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth that are for eating mammals. They are also said to be lovable in nature, and there is no record that they have harmed any human beings.

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What type of animal is a pine marten?

The answer to the question that what is a pine marten animal is that the pine marten belongs to the weasel family. It is a species of North American mammal. The pine martens are usually active at dusk and during the night in the wild.

What class of animal does a pine marten belong to?

The class of animal that a pine marten belongs to is mammals. Their considerable population is found in the wild regions of various European countries like England, Wales and Scotland.

How many pine martens are there in the world?

There are a total of over 4,000 pine martens in the world. The number of pine martens is less as there are different threats to the pine martens. Pine martens prefer to to live in woodland and forests of Scotland, Britain, and Ireland.

Where does a pine marten live?

They mostly live in woodland and spend most of their time in pine trees. They usually like to live in trees and in woody areas and enjoy their own company. They usually love to live in the areas that are rocky such as forests and woodland.

What is a pine marten's habitat?

The pine marten takes their name from their habitat as they like to spend most of their time in woodland, and they love to hang out on pine trees. They have their dens in hollow trees or scrub-covered fields in European countries England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and several others.

Who do pine martens live with?

The pine martens live with the Mustelidae family and live mostly in coniferous woodland. They usually love to live alone rather than living in a group of others. They only come together to breed in summer. They stay alone and enjoy their own company and rest and breed above ground.

How long does a pine marten live?

The lifespan of a pine marten is 15 years, depending on certain factors. Some of them tend to die early if they don’t get the proper nutrition that is needed for their body. The survival of the pine martens also depends on the geographic region, exposure to trapping, habitat quality and age as well.

How do they reproduce?

The pine martens sexually mature by the time they are 12 to 18 months old, and females usually give birth in March or April. The breeding takes place once in a year. So the reproduction depends on the cycle of mating between the male and female pine marten according to the different factors.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of pine marten is of Least Concern. The pine martens get full protection, and the killing of pine martens is illegal under certain laws. The pine marten population is stable as they are provided with full protection, but sometimes they lose their habitat because of certain threats to them.

What do pine martens look like?

Do you want to know what a pine marten look like? Pine martens are dark brown in color with a creamy yellow throat bib. The pine martens are the creatures which have pointed faces and also a long tail that helps them in balancing on trees.  They are long in size and are the size of a general domestic cat. They have a feature of claws that enables them to climb trees. They are believed to have sensitive ears and sharp teeth that help them in eating. They usually have dark brown fur which offers protection from the elements.

How cute are they?

Pine martens look cute as they are small in size and also have beautiful eyes that make them look cuter. They look cute but are aggressive in nature. Pine martens look cute as they are cat-sized. They are cute, and people like to keep them as pets.

How do they communicate?

The pine martens communicate to their mother and other members by twittering. They have to communicate with their mother by twittering in a low voice in order to convey their message to their mother.

How big is a pine marten?

Pine martens are usually medium-sized. They are not very big in size as compared to other animals.

How fast can a pine marten run?

They are fast treetop hunters and are very agile. They can leap easily from tree to tree and twist fluidly. They also run at a fast pace when they are on the ground.

How much does a pine marten weigh?

Pine martens weigh 2.80-3.0 lb and are medium in size.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male members of the species are called male pine marten and female members are known as female pine marten.

What would you call a baby pine marten?

Baby pine martens are known as kits. They are born in litter size up to five and have a thin coat of pale hair which darkens slowly as they mature accordingly.

What do they eat?

Pine martens have different types of diet, they eat birds, squirrels, insects, small mammals, eggs, fungi, and berries. The diet of the species can vary slightly depending on the forest region they are present in. The diet of pine marten living in woodland of England will be different from those living in the forest region of Scotland or Wales.

Are they aggressive?

Yes, the pine marten is an aggressive predator species and can kill much larger snowshoe hares and marmots. There are no records of pine martens attacking humans as they are very shy.  They are said to be aggressive, but they are friendly around humans.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they make a good pet. But, it is illegal to pet a pine marten species in your house, and in Britain. And if you wish to pet them, then you need a special permit for it. If you keep pine marten as a pet, then there are chances that they might be confiscated and also destroyed by the authorities as a rabies risk. If you wish to have pine marten as a pet, it is mandatory to get a permit from the specific authorities.

Did you know...

When many pine martens come together, they form a group and the group is called richness. They are skilled climbers and try to hunt on the ground most of the time. The pine marten is the only animal in Britain which has claws that are semi-retractable. Their name has come into existence from living in mainly coniferous forests. The pine martens came into existence in Britain when the ice age came to an end.

Pine martens are said to be adorable and have a diverse diet. It is difficult to spot pine marten as they only come out at night. They spend most of their day sleeping or resting in their dens sites. Their fur grows longer and silkier during the winter season. Pine martens are believed to be adorable for the way they look.

What does pine marten poop look like?

Pine marten poop looks long, thin, coiled, and tapered in shape.

Will pine martens kill chickens?

Yes, pine martens kill chickens by biting them in the neck. The pine martens eat them by biting them behind the head at the top of the spine, and also, their bite is said to be strong.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including arctic hare, or European rabbit.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our weasel coloring pages.