Fisher (animal)
| Fisher | |
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| Species: | M. pennanti
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| Martes pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)
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The fisher, Martes pennanti, is a North American marten. Despite its name, this animal seldom eats fish, but is a typical marten; a medium sized mustelid, agile in trees and slender enough of body to pursue prey into hollow trees or burrows in the ground. Their name is thought to originate from the French word fichet, which referred to the pelt of a European Polecat. In some regions the fisher is known as a pekan which is derived from its original name in the Abenaki language.
The fisher is found from the Sierra Nevadas in California to the Appalachians in West Virginia and north to New England (where it is often called a fisher cat), as well as in southern Alaska and across most of Canada. Fishers are present in low density in the Rocky Mountains, where most populations are the result of reintroductions. There is recent evidence, however, that a Montana population persisted in a refugium despite extensive fur trapping in the area during the 1800s and 1900s. Fishers are most often found in coniferous and mixed forests with high, continuous canopy cover.
Adults weigh between 2 and 7 kg (4-15 lbs) and are between 75 and 120 cm (29-47 in) in length, with the males larger and heavier than the females. Their coats are darkish brown, with a black tail and legs; some individuals have a cream-colored patch on the chest. All four feet have five toes with retractable claws. Because they can rotate their hind paws 180 degrees, they can grasp limbs and climb down trees head first. A circular patch of hair on the central pad of their hind paws is associated with plantar glands that give off a distinctive odor and is believed to be used for communication during reproduction. Fishers are also known for one of their calls, which is often said to sound like a child screaming.
Fishers are solitary hunters, feeding mainly on small herbivores such as mice, porcupines (being the only predator to consistently hunt this quilled animal), squirrels, shrews and occasionally deer. Female fishers first breed at one year of age. The fisher breeding season spans late February through mid-April. There is a ten month delay after breeding before implantation of the blastocyst phase of the embryo occurs, resulting in a one year gestation period. Litters are produced annually. The young are born in dens high up in hollow trees.
Fisher populations have declined because of loss of forest habitat and, in the past, because of trapping for their fur. They have the reputation of being shy and secretive, and they are difficult to breed in zoos. In some locales, however, particularly in north-eastern North America where forest habitat is recovering near towns, fishers seem to be habituating to human presence and are now seen more readily; there have been reports of them entering suburban areas and scavenging for rubbish, and occasionally attacking domestic animals. In 2005, there was an article in the Boston Globe, which told how fishers were attacking cats. While cats are not their only prey, there has been a rising number of missing cats, probably due to the rising number of fishers (fishers were reintroduced in much of North America to control porcupines). Occasionally, fishers can kill dogs as large as Labrador Retrievers, malamutes and German Shepherds. This trait is not unique to New England. Fisher attacks on domestic pets in the vicinity of forested areas is well documented throughout their range. Their attacks can be sudden and deadly, in spite of the presence of nearby human protectors.