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Snow tracking provides insights on the hunting behaviour of marten (Martes americana)

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Abstract

Despite substantial recent advances in biologging technology, hunting behaviour of forest-dwelling mesocarnivores remains difficult to study in the field. We used a small historical snow tracking dataset to illuminate aspects of the winter hunting behaviour of American marten (Martes americana) in the boreal forest of Yukon, Canada. We aimed to (a) document the number of kills, resting sites, and urination and defecation events per unit of search effort, (b) quantitatively describe aspects of hunting behaviour, and (c) characterize subnivean access sites. Snow tracking events (STE, n = 46) were 30 min each. Kill sites and resting sites were rarely located (15% of STE each). On 37% of STE, marten was following snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). Arboreal activity was < 1% of distance traveled. Marten routinely investigated quamaniqs (tree wells or depressions in snow around the bases of trees): they visited 10.3 ± 7.9 (SD) quamaniqs per STE. Subnivean access sites (n = 78) were observed on most STE (72%). At 36% of the subnivean access sites, marten traveled under the snow for a mean distance of 2.5 ± 2.2 m. Frequency distributions for select characteristics of subnivean access sites (habitat type, canopy closure, snow depth, and type of subnivean access) were all significantly different than expected. Subnivean access sites were typically in spruce forest with an open canopy (10–20% closure), which they accessed using deadfall where snow depths were 50–100 cm. While our dataset had several key limitations, snow tracking marten provided insights into their hunting behaviour that would have been difficult to ascertain using other methods.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ralph Archibald and Harvey Jessup for providing logistic support and help with field protocols and Heather Milligan for locating the original data cards. We thank two anonymous reviewers for providing comments that substantially improved our manuscript.

Funding

Funding was provided by the Government of Yukon.

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Author notes

  1. Brian G. Slough

    Present address: , Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

    Thomas S. Jung & Brian G. Slough

  2. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Thomas S. Jung

  3. Northern Biomes Ltd., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

    Catherine A. McEwan & W. Gavin Johnston

Authors
  1. Thomas S. Jung
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  2. Brian G. Slough
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  3. Catherine A. McEwan
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  4. W. Gavin Johnston
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Correspondence to Thomas S. Jung.

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Communicated by: Andrzej Zalewski

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Jung, T.S., Slough, B.G., McEwan, C.A. et al. Snow tracking provides insights on the hunting behaviour of marten (Martes americana). Mamm Res 66, 663–668 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-021-00596-1

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