Stone Marten

About this species

Diet

Fruit, rodents, birds, eggs, insects, and other small prey

Habitat

Open and forest habitats, rocky ground, and buildings

Range

Europe and Central Asia

Litter size

Usually 3–7

Gestation

Approximately 236–237 days in the wild

The stone marten, also called the beech marten or white-breasted marten, is a slender mustelid with brown to grey-brown fur, a bushy tail, and a conspicuous pale throat patch. It resembles the pine marten but is generally smaller, more terrestrial, and less closely tied to continuous forest. The throat patch is often white and may divide toward the forelegs, while the nose is paler than that of a pine marten. Geographic variation is considerable across its European and Central Asian range, so measurements from a single subspecies are omitted. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Stone martens use rocky clefts, tree cavities, stone structures, and buildings rather than digging their own burrows. They are mainly nocturnal or crepuscular, hunt largely on the ground, climb well, and can swim. Their adaptable diet includes rodents, birds, eggs, insects, fruit, and cultivated produce, with plant foods particularly important in winter. Mating occurs in June and July, followed by delayed implantation; three to seven kits are typical in late March or early April. Mongolia is supported by the site's taxonomic checklist, but the opened biological account did not provide a Mongolia-specific habitat or viewing locality. (Wikipedia, general species account; Mammal Diversity Database)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)