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The evolution story of the beech marten: How did it evolve from its ancient ancestors?
The beech marten (Martes foina) is a marten native to Europe and Central Asia. In addition to surviving in its traditional habitat, it has also established wild populations in North America. According to the IUCN Red List, its conservation status is listed as "Least Concern", mainly due to its wide distribution and stable population size. Beech martens and European pine martens are somewhat similar in appearance, however there are significant differences in size and habitat habits.
The beech marten is a more generally adaptable species, able to survive in a variety of open and forested habitats.
Evolution
According to current research, the most likely ancestor of the beech marten is Martes vetus, from which this species of marten also historically originated, along with the pine marten. Beech martens probably originated in the Near East or Southwest Asia and arrived in Europe during the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. This distinguishes the beech marten from most other European minks, as all other species (except the European mink) did not appear until the mid-Pleistocene.
Fossil evidence comparing ancient animals with their descendants shows that beech martens experienced a reduction in body size during the Pleistocene. Specimens of beech martens found especially on islands in the Aegean Sea show ancient Asian connections. Its skull structure shows greater adaptability to carnivory than the pine marten, including its smaller head, shorter snout, and narrower pressure behind the eyes.
These traits may have resulted from selection pressure to promote beech marten bite strength to avoid intraspecific competition with females and interspecific competition with ecologically overlapping pine martens.
Strain and appearance
As of 2005, there are eleven recognized subspecies of beech marten. Compared to pine martens, beech martens have a longer tail, a more angular head, and relatively short, round, and widely spaced ears. Its nose is lighter in color, while the pine marten is darker.
The limbs of this kind of marten are not as densely hairy as the pine marten, and the paw pads can even be seen in winter, so the overall appearance is smaller. Beech martens have shorter limbs and move in a manner similar to wild martens, while pine martens walk primarily by bouncing. This makes the beech marten restricted in its snowy environment.
Behavior and Ecology
Beech martens are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal animals, and are particularly active on bright moonlit nights. Compared with the pine marten, it has a more terrestrial living habit and is less arboreal, but it can climb flexibly in dense woods. Additionally, it is an excellent swimmer and is sometimes active during the day during the summer.
Beech martens have extensive home ranges in unexplored habitats. One individual in northeastern Spain was observed to have a range of 52.5 hectares, with peak activity occurring between 6pm and midnight.
Reproduction and development
The reproductive behavior of beech martens is similar to that of pine martens. During the mating season from June to July every year, the mating time can last for more than an hour. The gestation period lasts from about 236 to 275 days, and the pups are usually born in late March to early April, with the number of pups in each litter ranging from 3 to 7. Young minks are blind at birth and begin to see after about 30 to 36 days. The average lactation period is 40 to 45 days.
The relationship between diet and ecology
The beech marten's diet contains more plant food than pine martens and other martens, making it highly adaptable in terms of food sources. Its diet includes a variety of fruits and feeds on small mammals and birds. However, the potential prey of beech martens are mainly small birds. Some adult beech martens prefer to hunt large prey, while females often eat small prey and carrion.
Relationship with humans
Although beech martens are less valuable to the fur trade than pine martens, they are still important in local markets. On the other hand, beech martens have also been noticed since the 1970s for damaging cars, a behavior that is particularly noticeable in spring and may be related to the exploration of the surrounding environment by young martens.
Interestingly, beech martens disrupted operations at the Large Hadron Collider in 2016 when they climbed onto its power transformer.
With in-depth research on the ecology and behavior of beech martens, we cannot help but wonder whether these flexible creatures can continue to adapt and thrive in a changing environment in the future?
