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Beech marten - Martes foina

Biogeographical distribution:
Eurocentroasiatic

Distinctive features: head-body length 42.5-47.5 cm; shoulder height 12 cm; tail 23-26.5 cm; hind foot 7.9-9 cm; weight 1.3-2.3 kg. Slender shape, elongated body, pointed muzzle, not very large eyes, developed ears, relatively long tail. Thick and coarse fur, grayish brown in color, the throat and front part of the chest are white.

A Front paw print: length ~3.5 cm; width ~3.2 cm

P Hind paw print: length ~4 cm; width ~3 cm

Habitat: plain, mountain even over 2000 m altitude; in woods, forest edges, rocky areas, often also near dwellings.

Habits: mainly nocturnal; lives alone or in families that dissolve at the end of the training of the young for hunting. Jumps, easily climbs trees and buildings, generally lives on the ground, rarely swims; weak digger; frequents cavities and tunnels. It takes refuge in tree cavities, rock crevices, also in barns, attics and little-frequented buildings. It feeds on various small animals: insects, amphibians, birds and their eggs, mice, dormice, domestic animals.

The breeding season falls during the summer: during this period the animals lose their marked territoriality and can also be seen during the day, while at night their plaintive mating call echoes. Males during the breeding period tend to increase the extension of their territory and to mate with all the females whose territory partially overlaps with their own.

Gestation lasts about eight months, at the end of which one to four pups are born: this time span is due to the fact that the implantation of the fertilized egg takes place in the spring of the year following mating and the embryo begins to develop starting in February. This phenomenon is called embryonic diapause. The young are weaned around two months of age: however, complete independence is not reached before one year, while sexual maturity is reached between 15 months and two and a half years.

The life expectancy in the wild of these animals is 5-10 years, while in captivity they can easily reach twenty years of age.

Occasionally the young are preyed upon by other Carnivores, by Accipitriformes, Falconiformes and Strigiformes.

General distribution:

In Italy the nominal subspecies is present throughout the peninsular area (it is absent in Sardinia and Sicily). It frequents a great variety of environments, from the plain up to 2000 m in height: it prefers forested or wooded areas and is also common in anthropized areas, where it adapts to the peripheral and rural areas of human settlements, while carefully avoiding large open spaces.

the species is widespread in most of Europe including Crete and numerous islands of the Ionian and Aegean, (with the exception of Scandinavia, Ireland, Great Britain) with a high number of subspecies.

Existing protection: considered a "harmful" species by art.4 of the repealed T.U. 5/6/1939, n. 1016, today it is a protected species by Law 11/02/1992, n. 157 as it is considered a non-huntable species. It is also protected by the Bern Convention (Law 5/8/1981, n. 503, in force for Italy since 1/6/1982).

FAINA SHEET.pdf