Martes melampus
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The Japanese marten (Martes melampus) is a mammal in the marten genus most closely related to the sable. It is half a meter in length on average, not counting a 20-centimeter-long tail, and between 1000 and 1500 grams in weight. Males are generally larger than females. The pelage varies in color from dark brown to dull yellow with a cream-colored throat.
Both males and females are territorial, the size of each individual's territory depending on food availability. The Japanese marten is omnivorous, preferring meat from fish, frogs, and small birds and mammals but consuming insects, fruit, and seeds when necessary. It sleeps in a den in a hollow tree or a ground burrow.
There are three subspecies of Japanese marten:
- M. m. melampus lives on several of the Japanese islands.
- M. m. tsuensis is found on Tsushima Island, where it is legally protected.
- M. m. coreensis is found in North and South Korea.
References
- [Japanese Marten on Animal Diversity]
- Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0801880327
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