marten
American Heritage Dictionary:
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mar·ten
(mär'tn) 
n., pl., marten, or -tens.
n., pl., marten, or -tens.
- Any of several principally arboreal carnivorous mammals of the genus Martes, related to the weasel, mainly inhabiting northern forests, and having a slender body, bushy tail, and soft fur.
- The fur of one of these carnivorous mammals.
[Middle English martrin, marten, from Old French martrine (from feminine of martrin, pertaining to the marten , from martre, marten) and from Medieval Latin martrīna, both of Germanic origin.]
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marten
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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marten, martin
A marten is an animal like a weasel, whereas a martin is a bird of the swallow family.
| marshal, marriageable, marquess, marquis | |
| marvel, marvellous, massacre |
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(click to enlarge)
Stone marten (Martes foina). (credit: Reinhard/Reiser — Bavaria-Verlag)
Stone marten (Martes foina). (credit: Reinhard/Reiser — Bavaria-Verlag)
For more information on marten, visit Britannica.com.
The name applied to seven species of carnivores which are members of the family Mustelidae. This family also includes the skunk, weasel, otter, badger, and wolverine.
The American marten (Martes americana) inhabits the cooler forests of North America. Its brown pelt, known as the American sable, is highly prized. It is small and has scent glands, as do most members of the family. Other species are the pine marten (M. martes), yellow-throated marten (M. flavigula), stone marten (M. foina), Japanese marten (M. melampus), and South Indian yellow-throated marten (M. gwatkinsi). These are all found in Asia; the pine and stone martens occur in Europe as well.
The adult weighs a maximum of 3 lb (1.4 kg), and for the size of the animal, the gestation period of about 38 weeks is unusually long. This is apparently because these species, as many other members of the family do, have delayed implantation of the fertilized egg; that is, after fertilization there is a lapse of several months before embryonic activation is initiated. Mating occurs in the summer and the litter of three or four is born the following spring. See also Badger; Carnivora; Fisher; Mammalia; Otter; Sable; Skunk; Weasel; Wolverine.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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Marten
marten, name for carnivorous, largely arboreal mammals (genus Martes) of the weasel family, widely distributed in North America, Europe, and central Asia. Martens are larger, heavier-bodied animals than weasels, with thick fur and bushy tails. Members of most species are brown above and light-colored below. The American marten, Martes americana, also called American pine marten and American, or Hudson Bay, sable, is from 20 to 25 in. (51-64 cm) long, including the 7- to 8-in. (18- to 20-cm) tail, and has yellow-brown fur. It lives in coniferous forests from Alaska to the extreme N United States, extending south in western mountain ranges. It is mostly nocturnal and spends much of the time in trees, where it leaps from branch to branch, although it also forages on the ground; it makes its den in a hollow tree or log. Its diet consists chiefly of small animals, especially red squirrels (Tamiasciurus), but it also eats berries and nuts. The other North American species, M. pennanti, is called fisher; both are valued for their fur. Similar to the American marten are the European pine marten, M. martes, and the stone, or beech, marten, M. foina, of Europe and central Asia. The stone marten is grayish. The Siberian sable, M. zibellina, is a marten species that produces extremely valuable fur. The yellow-throated martens, M. flavigula of E Asia and M. gwatkinsi of S Asia, are patterned in shades of brown, yellow, and orange. Martens are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.
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categories related to 'marten'
- Carnivores
- Furs, Leathers, and Pelts - marten: soft, thick marten fur
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Marten
"Martens" redirects here. For other uses, see Martens (disambiguation).
- For the Wiltshire village, see Marten, Wiltshire. For the town in Bulgaria, see Marten, Bulgaria. "Martes" redirects here.
| Marten | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| European Pine Marten | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum: | Gnathostomata |
| (unranked): | Chordata Craniata |
| Superclass: | Tetrapoda |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Subclass: | Theria |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Superorder: | Laurasiatheria |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily: | Mustelinae |
| Genus: | Martes Pinel, 1792 |
| Species | |
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|
| Martes range | |
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.
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Description
Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large paws with partially retractible claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species, and, in many cases, is valued by fur trappers.
Diet
Martens are omnivorous animals related to wolverines, minks, badgers, ferrets, and weasels. Their diet consists of squirrels, mice, rabbits, birds, fish, insects, and eggs, and they will also eat fruit and nuts when these are available.[1][2]
Behavior
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.
Etymology
The Modern English "marten" comes from the Middle English "martryn", in turn borrowed from the Anglo-French "martrine" and Old French "martre" (Latin "martes"), itself from a Germanic source, cf. Old English mearþ, Old Norse mörðr, Old High German and Yiddish mardar.
Species
Recent DNA research has shown that the genus Martes is in fact polyphyletic, placing Martes pennanti and Martes americana outside the genus and allying it with Eira and Gulo, to form a new New World clade.[3] The genus first evolved up to seven million years ago, during the Pliocene.
- American Marten Martes americana
- Newfoundland Pine Marten Martes americana atrata
- Yellow-throated Marten Martes flavigula
- Beech Marten Martes foina
- Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii
- Pine Marten Martes martes
- Japanese Marten Martes melampus
- Fisher Martes pennanti
- Sable Martes zibellina
Cultural references
In the Middle Ages, marten pelts were highly valued goods used as a form of payment in Slavonia, the Croatian Littoral and Dalmatia. The Croatian word for marten, kuna, is the name of the modern Croatian currency.[4] A marten is depicted on the obverse of the 1, 2 and 5 kuna coins, minted since 1993, and on the reverse of the 25 kuna commemorative coins.[5]
The Finnish communications company Nokia derives its name, via the river Nokianvirta, from a type of marten locally known as the nokia.[6]
References
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Wikispecies has information related to: Martes |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Martes |
- ^ Powell, Roger (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 118–119. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43330041/ns/us_news-weird_news/
- ^ Flynn, J.J. et all (2004). "Molecular Phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): Assessing the Impact of Increased Sampling on Resolving Enigmatic Relationships". Systematic Biology 54(2): 317–337.
- ^ Croatian National Bank. First Money — History of the Croatian Currency: Kuna and lipa — the Croatian Currency. – Retrieved on 31 March 2009.
- ^ Croatian National Bank. Kuna and Lipa, Coins of Croatia: 1 Kuna Coin, 2 Kuna Coin, 5 Kuna Coin & Commemorative 25 Kuna Coins in Circulation. – Retrieved on 31 March 2009.
- ^ [1] - Retrieved on the 23rd of July 2010
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Marten
Dansk (Danish)
n. - [zool.] mår
Nederlands (Dutch)
marter (soort wezel), bond van marter
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) ικτίς (η αμερικανική), νυφίτσα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - marta (f) (Zool.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - marta, piel de marta
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mård, mård(skinn)
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
貂鼠, 貂皮
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 貂鼠, 貂皮
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) حيوان من فصيله ابن عرس,
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