American Marten

forest · weasel family · nimble climber

Tree-loving hunter. American martens are super agile and spend most of their time in forests, hunting small animals and feasting on berries. They're built like tiny acrobats with long, slender bodies perfect for zipping through branches.

Colorful chest patch. Each marten has a distinctive bib on its chest that's a completely different color from the rest of its fuzzy coat, kind of like wearing a colored shirt under a jacket. This bib makes them pretty easy to spot and identify.

Northern forest home. You'll find American martens all across Canada and in the northern parts of the United States, including Alaska, where they love the cold, dense forests.

Size matters between genders. Male martens are way bigger than females, which is pretty unusual and means you could tell them apart just by looking at them. The males need that extra size for their active forest lifestyle.

Mistaken for cousins. American martens sometimes get confused with fishers, another relative in the weasel family, but martens are noticeably smaller and lighter colored. Their distinctive bib is the easiest way to tell them apart.