Wildlife
Pine martens are elusive members of the weasel family, and sport a creamy yellow throat bib. Found throughout most of central and northern Europe, this once heavily persecuted marten is now extinct from most of England and Wales. Their last remaining UK stronghold is in Scotland. They favour well wooded areas where they can nest in hollow trees and old animal homes. Pine martens eat small mammals and seasonally available produce such as autumn fruits and berries. They are also treetop hunters that can race skillfully along branches, leaping from tree to tree in pursuit of squirrels.
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Sylvan sanctuary
Man-made conifer forests are vital sanctuaries for red squirrels, goshawks and others.
Man-made conifer forests are vital sanctuaries for red squirrels, goshawks and others.
Noisy neighbours
A pine marten and her babies set up home in a loft.
A pine marten and her babies set up home in a loft.
Freeloaders
Pine martens love a free meal, especially if it’s peanut butter.
Pine martens love a free meal, especially if it’s peanut butter.
Morning martens
An all night vigil results in rewarding views of a foraging pine marten.
An all night vigil results in rewarding views of a foraging pine marten.
Bugged
Infra-red cameras capture the first visit of a family of pine martens on film.
Infra-red cameras capture the first visit of a family of pine martens on film.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Pine marten can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, Europe, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Pine marten distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Population trend: Stable
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The European pine marten (Martes martes), known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. It is about the size of a domestic cat. Its body is up to 53 cm in length (21 inches), and its bushy tail can be 25 cm (10 inches). Males are slightly larger than females; on average a marten weighs around 1.5 kg (3.5 lb). Their fur is usually light to dark brown and grows longer and silkier during the winter months. They have a cream to yellow coloured "bib" marking on their throats.
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Helpless young
Carnivorous
Adapted to climbing
Scavenger
Chemical communication
Territorial
Viviparous