Pine martens might not have the glamorous status of Wyoming\u2019s big apex predators, but they are hugely important, even if they\u2019re occasionally humiliated by squirrels, a biologist said.<\/p>\n
Squirrels will pull the clever trick of getting a predator to follow them up a tree trunk. Then, the squirrels will lead the predator on a fruitless chase, burning laps around the tree, and always keeping the predator on the other side of the trunk.<\/p>\n
A video taken during a recent winter in Yellowstone National Park shows a red squirrel doing just that to a pine marten \u2014 which is a member of the weasel family.<\/p>\n
Pine martens are very quick and elusive, making capturing them on video in the act of hunting rare.<\/p>\n
The marten should feel no shame over not catching the pesky squirrel, said John Koprowski, a zoology professor and dean of the University of Wyoming\u2019s Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve probably seen a couple hundred of those kinds of chases, with various predators, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen a success,\u201d he told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
The \u2018Baby Brother\u2019 Of Predators<\/p>\n
Despite that marten going away hungry that time, martens as a species punch above their weight when it comes to controlling the rodents in Wyoming and other states, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are out there hitting squirrels and other small mammals. They are cleaning up those forest systems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not as much is known about martens as some of Wyoming\u2019s larger wildlife species, but that could change soon. The Haub School secured funding for a study of martens here, probably starting this summer, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
The study might involve putting radio-tracking collars on some martens, to gain a better picture of the animal\u2019s movements, habits and distribution in Wyoming.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s looking forward to helping give martens their due.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get lots of information on the big things; grizzlies and elk and bison and wolves. And with some of the smaller animals you don\u2019t get much information. Martens are one of those. They are like the baby brother of the predator community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Two Subspecies<\/p>\n
Two subspecies of pine martens were recently recognized, Koprowski said: the Pacific marten and the American marten.<\/p>\n
Most of the martens in Wyoming are Pacific martens, he said. American martens can be found in northern Wyoming, up near the Montana state line.<\/p>\n
They are strictly a forest species, \u201cso that cuts a lot of Wyoming out\u201d as potential habitat, he said.<\/p>\n
There are martens in the Yellowstone ecosystem, as well as in some other forested mountain ranges, such as the Wyoming Range, the Wind River Mountains and the Snowy Range, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
There is a trapping season for martens in Wyoming. John Eckman, vice president of the Wyoming Trappers\u2019 Association, told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are common in the high country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Red Squirrel Is Their Favorite Dish<\/p>\n
Though martens have a variety of prey, red squirrels are apparently their favorite, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are tied closely to red squirrels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And the presence of martens is a good indicator of a healthy forest, he added.<\/p>\n
Despite their name, red squirrels in Wyoming sometimes aren\u2019t red. Their fur turns more of a grayish color during the winter, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
So, the gray-colored squirrel in the chase video is a red squirrel, and its pursuer is probably a Pacific marten, he said.<\/p>\n
The chase in the tree might have been a last-ditch effort on the part of the marten, he added.<\/p>\n
Martens typically stalk and ambush red squirrels on the ground, near the squirrels\u2019 pine cone middens, or \u201cthe piles of pine cones that they create in the center of their territory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After stalking up on a squirrel in a cat-like manner, a marten will rush \u201cin a final burst\u201d hoping to make a catch and kill, he said.<\/p>\n
In the instance of the video, it could be that the marten had already done that, but the squirrel was lucky enough to make it to the tree.<\/p>\n
Once up the tree, the marten might have decided that since it was \u201calready invested\u201d in making a meal out of the squirrel, it was at least worth a Hail Mary, even though it ultimately didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n
Wildlife photographer Kristy Williams of Estes Park, Colorado, frequently visits Yellowstone, and caught the video during a snow coach tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pine marten finally gave up, as if he was out of breath. And the squirrel just sat up in the tree, looking at us\u201d in a defiant manner, she told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
\u2018That Body Shape Is Not By Accident\u2019<\/p>\n
Martens are long, lean and fierce, Koprowski said.<\/p>\n
Though Williams was lucky enough to catch sight of a marten hunting in the open, many of their exploits take place out of sight, in the tight spaces where squirrels, mice and other prey go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat body shape is not by accident. It\u2019s all about running though tree cavities and hollow logs, and zipping through tunnels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n