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Pine marten fact file - Coggle Diagram
Pine marten fact file
Appearance
Long, bushy tail - used for balance when climbing trees
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Diet
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In summer, up to 30% of their diet can be made up of bilberries which turns their poo blue!
Scats are usually dark and coiled, and some contain lots of berries. Smell sweet - like parma violets!
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Find most of their food at ground level, at dusk/night
Habitat
They used to thrive in the ancient wildwoods that covered much of Britain - in fact, they were one of the most common creatures. They relied on the diversity of trees and shrubs that offered a year round supply of food and snug tree holes in which to den.
Mature trees with holes and cavities are important - they use these sheltered spaces to rest and raise their young
They like to rest and breed above ground, so create their dens in natural tree cavities – making ancient woodland an ideal habitat - or holes created by other creatures eg squirrel dreys and bird nests
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Behaviour
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Very shy and rare, so difficult to spot in the wild
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Cubs emerge from dens after six weeks, can kill their own prey at three/four months, and are fully grown at six months
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If they fall, they twist in the air like a cat to land safely on all four feet
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Excellent sense of smell, sight and hearing
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Miscellaneous
Belong to mustelid family along with stoat, weasel, mink, polecat, badger, otter, ferret
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Once widespread across UK, but were driven to the edge of extinction by hunting (for fur and by gamekeepers) and habitat loss. They are now very rare
Now found in northern Scotland, mid Wales and the Forest of Dean in England