Nature Bulletin No. 512-A   January 12, 1974
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
George W. Dunne, President
Roland F. Eisenbeis, Supt. of Conservation

****:BIG WEASELS

The Weasel Family includes the mink, skunks, otters, badger, martens 
and wolverine as well as the bloodthirsty little weasel -- all carnivorous 
fur-bearers having a pair of anal glands containing musky fluid which, 
except in the otters, badger and fisher, has a vile penetrating odor.

The Pine Marten or American Sable, a little smaller than a house cat, is 
the tree-living member of the family. It dens and does much of its 
hunting in trees where it is a deadly enemy of squirrels and birds. On 
the ground it preys on marmots, chipmunks, hares, mice, grouse and 
reptiles. Honey, nuts and berries are eaten also. Aside from the lynx, 
eagles, owls and the fisher, a marten's chief enemy is man.

Because of its intense curiosity, this beautiful animal is one of the 
easiest of all fur-bearers to trap and the pelt is very valuable. Its fur, 
exceptionally thick and soft, is a rich golden brown shading into black 
on the legs and bushy tail. There are large patches on the neck and 
chest. Until the white man came, a few martens lived in Cook County 
but it is a shy wilderness creature and soon disappeared. Now they are 
found only in the dense coniferous forests of remote regions in Canada, 
Alaska and our northwestern states.

The Fisher, called Pekan by trappers, is another marten but larger -- 
about the size of a fox -- much fiercer, and spends more time on the 
ground. Although it prefers swampy lowland forests and is a good 
swimmer, it is not as aquatic as an otter or even a mink, and fish are 
only incidental in its diet. The name "fisher" was probably invented to 
distinguish it from the pine marten. The long silky fur, varying from 
grayish brown to dark brown or almost black, is in great demand but 
this wary animal is difficult to trap and very scarce.

There are fishers in the Adirondack forests of New York, the 
mountainous wildernesses of our northwestern states, and across 
Canada from Labrador to Alaska and British Columbia, but they have 
never been abundant anywhere. Even 150 years ago, when fishers were 
seen here in Cook County and in the Appalachian mountains as far 
south as North Carolina, that was true.

This animal hunts, mostly at night, over a territory of several square 
miles. Once on the trail of a victim, it never quits and is capable of 
remarkable speed for short distances. On the ground it preys on 
snowshoe rabbits, marmots, beaver, birds and small animals; also on 
dead deer and fish. In the trees it preys on squirrels, raccoons, the pine 
marten, and porcupines. Other than a wise old wolf, a fisher is the only 
animal smart and quick enough to flip a porcupine over, attack the soft 
underbelly, and kill it without being harmed by the deadly quills .

The Wolverine or Caracajou, giant of the weasel family, is a powerful 
evil-tempered outlaw that looks like a bear and smells like a skunk. It is 
said to have attacked and killed deer, caribou, moose and even 
mountain lions. In winter it will follow a trapper's route, eat the trapped 
animals, hide or wreck the traps and break into his cabin where it 
destroys and defiles what it cannot devour.

Almost four feet long and weighing from 25 to 35 pounds, the 
wolverine has a broad powerful head, thick body and short sturdy legs. 
Its long thick hair dark brown except for a broad band of yellowish 
white along each side, is used in the far north to trim parkas because it 
will not accumulate frost.

Michigan is known as the Wolverine State. Although extinct, now, east 
of The Rockies, this beast once ranged from the Arctic Ocean south into 
our northern states.  If there ever was a cunning demon, this is it.