Sable
- The sable's fur color varies, with specific names for each variation. The darkest and most valuable is "golovka," almost black, while the cheapest is "meхovoy," light, sandy-yellow or pale.
- Sable (Martes zibellina) raised in captivity may be very tame — freely walking around a room or yard and running to their owner's call in hopes of receiving a treat.
- The sable is prized for its exceptionally soft and dense fur, which was a symbol of luxury for centuries.
- In captivity it has lived more than 15 years.
- The sable is one of the most valuable fur animals.
- Fur colour varies by region.
- It is nocturnal or crepuscular and both arboreal and terrestrial in the taiga.
- The sable climbs and jumps well.
- Litters usually contain 2–5 young.
- It feeds on rodents, birds and berries.
Age
European pine martens typically live from 13 years and 8 months to 22 years and 9 months, with a maximum lifespan of 18 years and 3 months, and a theoretical lifespan ranging from 9 years and 3 months to 18 years and 5 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 11 months and 2 weeks and 1 year and 7 months. Eyes open at an age between 3 weeks and 1 month and 1 week; the embryonic stage involves a period of delayed development during which the embryo develops inside the mother’s body. Following birth, the young are blind, covered in sparse fur, and fed exclusively with the mother's milk during the infant stage. The adult stage lasts from 2 to 15 years, and during this time the animal reaches its full size and is capable of reproduction.
Phenotype
Young sables are born with their eyes closed, and these open approximately one month into their lives. The species has a thick fur coat that protects it from severe frosts, and this fur is darker and denser in winter. Each adult European pine marten possesses sharp claws which aid in climbing trees and capturing prey, and also a bushy tail that helps maintain balance and warmth. Furthermore, each individual has long whiskers that assist with navigation in darkness and confined spaces. The number of tails is one per individual, as is the number of eyes.
Physiology
The sable is a species whose body height reaches from 17.8 cm to 3.5 m, and the body length varies from 35 to 50 cm. The mass of an adult individual ranges from 1.72 to 1.73 kg; however, at the embryonic stage, the body mass is 0 g, and the offspring have a body mass from 25 to 40 g and a body length from 10 to 18 cm. Adult males and females are characterized by a body mass from 0.7 to 1.3 kg and a body length from 35 to 43 cm.
Habitat
The sable inhabits temperate coniferous forests where it is cool and there are many coniferous trees, and snow falls in winter, as well as taiga with a cold winter and an abundance of spruce and pine. The species is found in diverse landscapes: on lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, rivers and streams, on land, in highlands and tundra, and in terrestrial forests. The climate in the sable's habitats can vary: a cool summer with a temperature of +15…+20 °C, a very cold winter and a hot summer, always very wet, with a large amount of rain, or with a cool summer and snow in winter, as well as with a warm summer and snow in winter. The sable may be found at an altitude of up to 2 km above sea level.
Shelter
European pine martens reside in tree cavities, burrows, or beneath tree roots, utilizing dens for reproduction, rest, and protection from cold temperatures; these dens are constructed from moss, twigs, and berries.
Geography
The European pine marten is found within the Palearctic biogeographical region and occupies several ecosystems, including the meadows and sparse forests of the Kamchatka-Kuril Islands, the Sayani mountain coniferous forests, the Kazakh forest-steppe, the Ural mountain forests and taiga, the Okhotsk-Manchu taiga, and the Scandinavian-Russian taiga.
Feeding
The sable hunts small animals and occasionally consumes plant matter, employing an active hunting strategy that involves searching for and pursuing food on the ground and in trees; its diet includes voles, chipmunks, birds, hares, rabbits, rodents, seeds, berries, cedar nuts, squirrels, chipmunk squirrels, pigeons, capercaillie, grey partridges, wall lizards, brown frogs, and squirrels. The species’ daily food requirement ranges from 100 grams to 250 grams, and the young consume milk. Eagles prey on the sable.
Reproduction
The sable is a terrestrial species, developing outside of water bodies, reproducing through viviparity, where offspring are born live on land, without hatching from eggs or larvae; females give birth once per year, with litter sizes ranging from 1 to 6; embryonic development lasts 4 weeks, and maturity is reached at an age of 2 to 3 years; the nest is located inside a tree trunk or in a cave/crevice, eggs or offspring develop in a terrestrial nest built on or near the ground; reproduction always occurs through homogamy, with fertilization and without generational change; the reproductive interval is 1 year.