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Trail camera photographer and wildlife enthusiast Colin Chase of Gray continues to unpack some amazing winter footage from his assortment of cameras placed across the state.
He recently captured the attached video of an American marten, which is commonly called a pine marten. These critters are incredibly active, as evidenced by this specimen walking around in the snow.
It appears to be looking for something to eat and Chase had a theory about that when sharing the video on his Facebook page.
“They rarely hang out in front of the camera,” Chase said. “This one was sniffing out a snowshoe hare.”
Notice that the marten is able to easily move around on top of the snow with its specially adapted feet, which are covered with thick fur.
According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, hares are indeed included on the long list of foods the carnivores eat, along with small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. However, they also consume mast crops, particularly beech nuts, and berries.
Marten live in forests in western and northern parts of the state that are dominated by conifers and dense shrubs. Maine’s marten, members of the weasel family, are living at the southern end of the animal’s range in North America.
Marten are about the size of a cat and have long, thick, brown fur with a bushy tail and a face that is almost white.
One thing is for sure, Chase’s video gives Bangor Daily News readers a nice look at a marten hunting in the snow. And since many Mainers never have the chance to see one, this is a real treat.
Many thanks to Colin Chase for his continued generosity in sharing his gorgeous wildlife videos with us. Check out more of his videos by subscribing to his “Maine Woodsbooger” YouTube channel.