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- Pine Marten Pin
Pine Marten Pin
A 1.25" hard enamel pin with a collectable backing card, printed on recycled paper.
Martens are members of the Mustelid family, which includes weasels, otters, and badgers, among others. They live in snowy northern regions, pretty much exclusively in deep forests, and were once thought to live only in coniferous forests, hence the name pine marten. There are American pine martens here in Michigan, where I live!! They are extremely elusive, so I've never seen one, but one of my friends has seen them twice! The jealousy I feel is unreal, haha.
Like most mustelids, martens are vicious, feisty predators! They mainly feast on small mammals such as mice and squirrels, but birds, insects, berries, and of course eggs, are on the menu as well. The tube-shaped body of a mustelid does not retain heat as well as a stockier animal, and thus mustelids have a very high metabolism and need to be constantly on the hunt!
Like their domestic ferret cousins and other mustelids, pine martens are stiiinnkyy fellows! I read somewhere that the yellow coloration on their chest is from oily scent glands, which is why the color can vary so much on individuals, but I couldn't find a proper source so you'll have to take it with a grain of salt.
One more random fact for you all: martens are the only mustelid with (semi) retractable claws! It helps them climb trees.