The Pine Marten
Writer: Mads Wolter Nielsen
08.03.23
The Pine Marten
Dear reader
Today we continue the series of Yggdrasil’s spirit animals. This week we will focus on one of our more adorable, illusive and curious critters. The pine marten. In Denmark we have a number of different animals belonging to the group mustelidae, all of them have a unique lifestyle. Most are adept hunters and important predators of mice and bird populations.
Unlike its controversial cousin the mink, this woodland creature is native to the danish environment, climate and ecology. The woodland critter known as pine marten (skovmår in danish) is a beautiful and curious forest predator. It is one of Denmark's most distinct wild predators, though it is not very big. From nose to tail-tip they measure around 78 cm in length and they weigh around 1-2 kg.
There are a number of species in the mustelidae family in Denmark, the otter and the badger, to name a few, but there is only one species that really resembles the pine marten which is the beech marten (husmår). Though they are in the same genera, the two are actually different species but can appear very similar. The pine marten has fur coloration that resembles a yellow-beige “bip” on the throat and upper stomach, and a chocolate-brown colored fur on the rest of its body. Its sibling species the beech marten’s “bip” is white and split with the two tips running down the length of the front legs. In the field however they can be very hard to differentiate.
Martens are the only mustelids with semi-retractable claws. This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles, such as climbing or running on tree branches, although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground. They are mainly active at night and dusk. They have small, rounded, highly sensitive ears and sharp teeth adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects and frogs. They have also been known to eat berries, birds' eggs, nuts, and honey. The pine marten is territorial and marks its home range by depositing feces. Its scat is black and twisted.
Although they are preyed upon occasionally by red foxes, humans are the largest threat to pine martens. They are vulnerable from conflict with humans, loss of habitat leading to fragmentation, and other human disturbances. This has caused a considerable decline in the pine marten population. The pine marten spends most of its time up in the trees where old pinewoods are the preferred habitat. The lack of such forests in Denmark leads to very fragmented habitats and can threaten the population.
The Marten totem
The Marten is a welcomed inhabitant of the forests and one we are glad to see looming about in the three branches of the forest. They are curious, inquisitive and elusive animals. They move elegantly and sure-footed through the forest up in the trees, running from branch to branch.
The marten spirit is solitary and confident. They have immense control over their body, and are very agile, thus making them adept at adapting to any challenges they might face. If you have the Marten totem you can work confidently and excellently on projects on your own. You do not rely on help from any others. Martens are reclusive and thus the spirit of the marten can make you shun crowds or collaborations with many people. Though confident in itself, if you have the marten spirit you and people around you
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Maybe you are experienced in dealing with totem animals or maybe you have never heard of it before. regardless I hoped you learned something you found interesting about the raven. If you have any great stories concerning ravens or perhaps your own spirit animal, feel free to write us an email or DM on social media and share your story.
I hope to see you in the forest at Yggdrasil Sanctuary.
Cheers
Mads
