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 Pine
Marten (Cat Crainn) --:
The
pine marten is Ireland’s rarest wild animal. It is usually found in the
west and south of Ireland. It is a shy animal and is also very hard to
find. It looks like a stoat but has a longer body with short legs. It is
also much larger and has a bushier tail.
Its coat is usually a rich dark brown. Pine marten’s are
sometimes called marten cats in some parts of Ireland. They are about the
same size as a cat, but they have shorter legs and longer bushy tails. The
pine martens length, head, body, tail is about 27” and it weights about
3 pounds. The pine marten is a woodland animal, with good strong feet and
claws to climb. The marten lives up to 17 years and weighs about
800-1800g. The number of babies is 2 to 8 but usually 2 to 5. In one night
the pine marten can travel up to 30 km. Young
marten’s start life with greyish-tinged coat.
The pine marten defends itself fiercely if threatened by other
animals.
As
it start’s to get dark the pine marten slip’s out of its den and
starts a nights hunting. In winter and spring it eats mostly rats, mice,
rabbits, small birds, beetles. It is mainly a meat eater but will eat
almost anything it can catch. It rests and nests usually above ground. The
pine marten has sharp pointed teeth and both jaws are used for stabbing
its food. The marten’s ears are large and they have pale edges.
Mating
occurs in September or October and the young are born in March or April.
The usual litter is about three animals and there is one litter per year.
The pine marten does not damage trees so it is not hunted. Its main enemy
is man.
It
is protected under the Wildlife Act, 1976.
Ashley
McCarthy
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