Mammal Web Page


7 Levels of Classification on the Fisher
Kingdom	Animala
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Carnivora
Family	Mustelidae
Genus	Martes
Species	pennanti

Description of the Fisher

The color of the Fisher's fur ranges from medium to dark brown. Their fur changes for sexes and seasons. The males are 900-1200mm long. The females range from 750 to 950mm long. The tails are 370-410mm, for the males. And the female's tail range from 310 to 360mm. Males weigh 3500 to 5000 grams and females weigh 2000 to 2050 grams.

The Fisher's Habitat

They like mature, dense, coniferous hardwood forests with a closed canopy. They live in boreal forests. They like forests with many hollow trees to use for their dens. The kind that they like are; spruce, fir, white cedar, and hardwood. In the winter they make burrows in the snow.

The Fisher's Home Range

Some Fishers live in the Canadian provinces. They live all around the United States from Southern California to the Rocky Mountains in Utah. Not only in the Western side of the US but they can live in New York and New England. Adult Fishers home range is 5 square miles.

The Fisher's Food

The Fisher is a carnivore. They eat porcupines. Usually in Fisher's waste you can find porcupine quills. Along with the porcupine, they eat and kill, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, snowshoe hare, and sometimes deer fawns. They also eat berries and nuts. A sign that a Fisher's been there, is if a partially eaten porcupine is there lying on it's back dead. They also compete with the marten. They sometimes eat martens.

The Fisher's Life Cycle and Life Span

Fisher's mate in the spring. Baby Fishers are born in the spring. Their is a gestation period for 1 whole year. They are born blind. They open their eyes 7 weeks after birth. They stay with their mother for almost one year. In one litter, a mother fisher can have 1-5 babies. They are weaned for 3-4 months. The nest is in a hollow tree. The mothers have 1-5 babies a litter. They nest in a hollow trees. There is no evidence that Fishers travel or live together. They may travel together during mating season. They are solitary. The Fisher's lifespan in the wild is unknown. They are very hard to breed in captivity. Their lifespan in zoos is 10+ years.

The Important Factors Fishers need for Survival

They need a hollow tree for their dens. Second, they need a forest with a closed canopy. They have retractable claws on their hands and feet. This helps them hunt. They can easily fit through tiny spaces where others can't. The forest they live in must be near water.

Interesting Facts about the Fisher

There are many interesting facts about the Fisher.

Number 1; Fishers are the only animals that eat porcupines.

Number 2; their nearest relatives is the American Marten and the Mink.

Number 3; Few animals can take on the Fisher. The Bobcat eats many animals that the Fisher eats. The Fisher competes with the Bobcat for food. Occasionally Bobcats kill Fishers.

Number 4;Their name is the Fisher but they don't like to eat fish..

Number 5; Fishers are agile and speedy tree climbers.

Number 6; They are usually solitary when they hunt and live.

Human Impact on the Fisher

Fishers are endangered. People shoot them for their beautiful fur. By the 1900s, Fishers were nearly extinct in Minnesota. Since 1970, there has been 10,000 Fishers. Each year 2,000 Fishers are killed. In 1998, the United States moved the Fisher to the endangered list. Help save the Fishers!

Description	Habitat	Range	Food	Life Cycle
Survival	Facts	Human Impact	References	Links