- Do martens hibernate?
- What do martens do in winter?
- Do martens also cause damage in winter?
- What happens during hibernation?
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In winter, numerous animals hibernate in order to survive the food-poor period unscathed. However, some mammals such as foxes can also be seen in winter. Do martens belong to those animals that hibernate or are they also active in winter?
Both stone and pine martens are active in winter
Do martens hibernate?
Let's not beat around the bush: No. Martens don't hibernate. So if you find tracks in the snow in winter, they can just as easily be marten tracks, fox tracks or cat tracks.
What do martens do in winter?
Martens also have to hunt in winter to feed themselves, because they mainly eat meat. This means that martens have to leave their refuge every day, even in winter, and go in search of food. Martens are nocturnal, which means they may not even notice their presence.
Do martens also cause damage in winter?
Martens like to spend the night in warm car engines or in the insulating material in the roof, especially in winter. However, it is reported that less marten damage can be observed in winter. This is not because the martens do not sleep in the engine compartment, but because they have less competition and are therefore less aggressive. Since there is no mating season in winter, martens usually stay in their territories and therefore rarely come into contact with rivals. During the mating season, however, they leave their territory and go in search of a partner. It can sometimes happen that they spend the night in a "strange" car and the smell of another marten gets into their noses. They don't like that at all and they become aggressive and destructive. In their anger they sometimes bite a few cables.
tips
The mating season is from June to August. You should take special care of your car during this time, but you should under no circumstances kill or catch a marten at this time, as the mating season falls during the closed season.
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What happens during hibernation?
An animal in hibernation lowers its heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature extremely in order to use significantly less energy. The heart of a hibernating hedgehog only beats about four to five times a minute. He lowers his body temperature from the normal 36 degrees to below 10 degrees. As a result, the animals can live throughout the winter on the fat reserves that they ate up in the fall.