Trivia question for May-25-2011

Olivia thought these guys looked a lot like our Black-footed Ferrets so she decided to feature them in our trivia.  These are mainly nocturnal predators that hunts small mammals and birds, storing excess prey in grisly larders.

They are extremely agile both on the ground and in the upper branches of its forest home. They are native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. It is about the size of a domestic cat. Its body is up to 21-inches in length, and its bushy tail can be 10 inches. Males are slightly larger than females; on average they weigh around 3.5 lb. Their fur is usually light to dark brown and grows longer and silkier during the winter months. They have a cream to yellow colored “bib” marking on their throats.

So here are Olivia’s questions: Tell us what this species is and how much food (in percentage of their body weight), do these guys eat each night.  Also tell us how far these guys are able to leap while traversing from tree to tree?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to our friend Carmel for being the first with the correct answer.  The wiry critter we featured is in fact the Eurasian Pine Martin. The European Pine Marten, known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as Pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel.

Each night, these high-strung characters consume food equivalent to 10% of its body-weight.  The Eurasian Pine Martin has been known to leap 13-feet from tree to tree.  Their habitats are usually well-wooded areas. European Martens usually make their own dens in hollow trees or scrub-covered fields. Martens are the only mustelids with semi-retractable claws. This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles, such as climbing or running on tree branches, although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground. Here is more on these feisty martens: Eurasian Pine Martin

Thanks for playing along 😉