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Do you know the beech marten, a mysterious creature from Europe and Central Asia?
The beech marten (Martes foina), also known as the stone marten or white-breasted marten, is a marten-like animal native to Europe and Central Asia. It also has established wild populations in North America. According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the beech marten is classified as a species of "least concern", mainly because of its wide distribution range, large population, and habitat in multiple protected areas.
Beech martens are biologically similar to European pine martens, but their smaller size and broader habits create different habitat patterns.
Evolution
The most likely ancestor of the beech marten is Martes vetus, the same species that also gave rise to the pine marten. The earliest fossils of M. vetus were found in glacial-age formations in Lebanon and Israel. It is speculated that beech martens may have originated in the Near East or Southwest Asia and arrived in Europe during the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. This distinguishes it from most other Quaternary European minks, as all other species (except the European mink) arose during the middle Pleistocene. Comparisons of fossil animals with their present-day descendants show that beech martens were subject to selective pressure during the Wurm period, leading to a tendency to shrink in size.
The beech marten's cranial structure shows higher hypercarnivorous adaptations than the pine marten, making it more efficient at hunting.
Appearance features
Compared with pine martens, beech martens have a longer tail, a more slender head, and their ears are shorter, rounder, and wider apart. The nose color is light peach or gray, while the pine marten is dark black or gray-black. The hair on the four legs of the beech marten is less dense than that of the pine marten, allowing the paw pads to remain visible even in winter. Due to their shorter limbs, beech martens move differently than pine martens, with the former preferring to crawl while the latter hops around.
The body length of male beech martens is between 430 and 590 mm, while that of females is between 380 and 470 mm. Males can weigh 1.7 to 1.8 kg in winter.
Behavior and Ecology
The beech marten is a crepuscular and nocturnal animal, especially active on moonlit nights. Compared to pine martens, beech martens tend to forage more on the ground, although they can also climb nimbly in the woods. It is an excellent swimmer and is sometimes found during daylight hours in the summer. During heavy snowfall, beech martens will use rabbit tracks to avoid heavy snow.
Beech marten nests in towns and cities are almost exclusively storage spaces within buildings, especially in winter, as they do not dig their own burrows or occupy the nests of other animals.
Reproduction and development
The beech marten's estrus and mating time are the same as those of the pine marten, and the mating process can last more than an hour. Mating usually occurs between June and July, and the gestation period is approximately 236 to 237 days. Young minks are blind when they are born, and begin to open their eyes after about 30 days. The lactation period lasts for 40 to 45 days. By early July, the young minks are indistinguishable from adult minks.
The proportion of plant foods in its diet is higher than that of pine marten, mainly including raspberries, apples and other fruits.
Relationship with humans
Although beech mink has some value in the fur trade, the quality of its fur is not as good as that of pine marten; at the same time, beech mink have been known to cause damage to car parts since the 1970s. The cause of this behavior has not been determined, but some mink can cause damage to your car's pipes and cables.
Two beech martens shut down the Large Hadron Collider, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, in 2016, an incident that showed the unexpected influence of these small animals.
Not only do these mysterious creatures occupy a place in the ecosystem, but they also reveal aspects of their interactions with humans that have not been seen in the past. How much do you know about this unique species?
