(Martes americana)

The Pine Marten is a carnivorous member of the weasel family. The marten’s coat is characterized by soft, dense fur which varies in colour from tan to dark brown, being mostly black on the feet & legs. Lighter-coloured martens tend to have grayish-brown tails, while darker animals have dark brown to almost black tails. The fur around the muzzle varies in hues, from gray to light brown, with a short, dark line running up the forehead from the corner of each eye. The marten’s throat and upper chest are a tan colour.
The ears give pine martens a cat-like look. Martens vary in body length from 50 to 65 cm, not including the tail, which can be up to 20 cm long. They may weigh up to nearly 2 kg, males being larger than females. Martens have sharp claws which they use for climbing, as well as for holding prey.
Martens depend on voles and mice, a primary food source, found over much of Vancouver Island The second important source of food is berries, especially blueberries, followed by small birds, eggs, & vegetation. Martens will also eat squirrels, and if food is scarce enough, they will occasionally revert to cannibalism.
The marten is an opportunistic feeder. Carrion, such as the remains of wolf kill, dead spawning salmon remains, or winter-killed deer & elk, is all eaten. Although martens are suited for nocturnal foraging, they are also active during mornings & evenings, especially during the long days of summer.
Pine martens are rarely seen on Vancouver Island, and to behold one on the North Island is a rare treat!
Pacific Marten observed today in Nanaimo along Extension Ridge!
I also saw one today (Feb 12th) in extension ridge area! This comment helped me confirm what we saw. Thank you!
My son found this animal at Miracle beach on Vancouver Island back in 2016. Could it be a pine Martin?
the image has disappeared, but it looked like a mink when I opened the image file up
Saw a tan coloured one stretched out in the sun on the railings of Lazo Marsha boardwalk. He looked at me for a few seconds are the jumped off Been walking there for years and that is a first.
Saw this little guy near Morrell Lake on Vancouver Island, BC
We captured this guy on our game camera. Looks like a Pine Marten?
We are between Comox and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Spider Lake area.
Sure looks like I got a quick look at one on a Doug Fir Tree in East Sooke….
We’ve had red squirrels in these trees in the past and recently lots of their leavings of stripped scales left after eating the seeds from still green cones.
First glimpse looked a bit like a big squirrel–seemed tan colour…..Maybe saw this animal for two seconds or thereabouts before it zipped around the “back” of the tree……
2 -3 years ago we had a red squirrel use a nest box and raise 3 litters of kits!
A neighbour brought in a n ‘asian leopard cat
which killed almost all squirrels and an entire
doubled up covey of quail…..