(Pekania pennanti)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
The fur (pelage) is dark brown to nearly black with white-tipped hairs over the head and shoulders giving it a frosted appearance. |
Size |
Total length: 29″ to 47″ Head and body: 20″ to 25″ Tail: 13″ to 15″ |
Sign |
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Similar Species |
Habitat |
Deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests with low or closed canopies |
Biology |
Behavior |
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Lifespan |
10 years |
Life Cycle |
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Food |
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Distribution |
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Sources The only sighting in Wabasha County (light green on map) is sourced from GBIF. However, iNaturalist sightings are often obscured, with dots appearing randomly near the actual location, sometimes in adjacent counties. GBIF utilizes these iNaturalist sightings, thereby inheriting the same dot locations, which can lead to errors in their maps, as seen in this case. |
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4/4/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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Class | Mammalia (mammals) |
Subclass | Theria |
Infraclass | Eutheria (placental mammals) |
Magnorder | Boreoeutheria |
Superorder | Laurasiatheria (ungulates, carnivorans, and allies) |
Order | Carnivora (carnivorans) |
Suborder | Caniformia (dog-like carnivores) |
Family |
Mustelidae (weasel, mink, badger, martens and others) |
Subfamily |
Guloninae (wolverines, martens, and tayras) |
Genus |
Pekania (Fisher “Cats”) |
Subfamily Species |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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Some authorities recognize three subspecies. Others consider the species monotypic (having only one immediately subordinate taxon.) |
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British Columbia fisher (Martes pennanti columbiana) fisher (Martes pennanti pennanti) Pacific fisher (Martes pennanti pacifica) |
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Synonyms |
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Martes pennanti |
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Common Names |
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fisher |
Glossary
Pelage
The coat of a mammal, consisting of fur, wool, or hair, and including a soft undercoat and stiff guard hairs.
Visitor Photos |
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Dave Dosh |
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Best of 6 trail cam pics captured over 3 week span. |
Pat Brice |
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Fisher Sighting on Trail Cam - Possibly This is not a cat and the previous two cam images showed a dark blur as this animal leapt a couple times and then sat where the trail cam photographed it. After researching possibilities (marten, weasel, cat), the most likely animal that this appears to be is a Fisher. The size, body shape, and thick tail are not like any other animal. A search of the Minnesota DNR website and other Minnesota sites shows that they have been seen in Houston county. |
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Christa Schwen |
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Trail Cam |
Alisa Hornberg |
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Caught on trail cam |
Dan W. Andree |
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"Fisher photos".... An interesting animal larger than a mink.... It seemed curious about me and only got anxious when it wanted to come down out of the tree. I was below and it got a little nervous and started making these little chuckling sounds so I backed away and it came down the back of the tree peeking around keeping an eye on me and then scampered off away into the woods. I did not seem threatening at all. |
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Jamie Waltzing |
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Trail camera Photo. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Visitor Videos |
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Dan W. Andree |
A "Fisher" in a tree. |
About
Fishers are members of the weasel family. They sometimes get a bad rap as a vicious, dangerous animal. While they can be vicious in surviving in the wild they usually are not a threat to humans. I am in their territory a lot and have followed their tracks in winter and yet have only seen them a few times. This fisher got a little anxious wanting to come down out of the tree, so I backed off and let him down. He had sat there peacefully for several minutes not minding me at all. |
Other Videos |
Fisher (Pekania pennanti) |
About
Uploaded on Jun 21, 2011 Fisher seen outside the Wildlands Trust office in Duxbury, MA |
Fisher "Pekania pennanti" |
About
Published on Aug 19, 2012 This is by far my best Fisher video to date. Taken two hundred feet from the house. Mather Creek Drainage, Fieldbrook, California. 8-19-2012, 8:00 am |
IMG 0171 |
About
Published on Sep 4, 2014 Fisher (Pekania pennanti) in our yard near Cedar Pond. |
Fishers (Pekania pennanti) 14 Sept 2015 |
About
Published on Sep 21, 2015 This pair (mother and kit; id'd by an expert on Fishers) was found by Elias Elias along the Arcata Ridge Trail in Arcata, Humboldt County, CA. Northwestern CA generally supports a decent population of Fishers but most of them are found inland, not along the coastal slope like these two were. |
Fisher at bait |
About
Uploaded on Feb 25, 2011 Game cam footage of a fisher (Pekania pennanti) on Brush Mountain in Central Pennsylvania, an area where fishers had been extirpated for over a hundred years. |
Visitor Sightings |
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Dave Dosh |
Location: Sherburne County Best of 6 trail cam pics captured over 3 week span. |
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Christa Schwen 5/3/2023 |
Location: Houston County, about 2 miles north of Money Creek, west of Hwy 76. This is not a cat and the previous two cam images showed a dark blur as this animal leapt a couple times and then sat where the trail cam photographed it. After researching possibilities (marten, weasel, cat), the most likely animal that this appears to be is a Fisher. The size, body shape, and thick tail are not like any other animal. |
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A search of the Minnesota DNR website and other Minnesota sites shows that they have been seen in Houston county. |
Tim Kirkman 4/6/2021 |
Location: Carver County / Hollywood Township I had one run across our farm's orchard in broad daylight. Seemed to be heading toward a nearby marshy area. |
Christa Schwen 4/19/2020 |
Location: Ogilvie, MN Trail Cam |
Joy Kemple 4/7/2020 |
Location: Twin Valley I seen one run right through my front yard at about 7 AM. I live about a mile north of the Dam in Twin Valley. It was very plump and running towards the turkey farm. I noticed that I don't have rabbits running all over the place anymore like I used to have. And there was a porcupine spotted in my tree last fall and I sure hope he got it. I also noticed that I did not have one mouse in my house this year or my Barn Bldg. and I didn't put out any Poison only traps and only caught one mouse in a trap last fall. And it seems the squirrels all disappeared also, which is a good thing because they were getting out of hand. I don't have any pets but lots of deer hang out in my yard and wild turkeys were hanging out here last fall but maybe the Fisher had a good Thanksgiving...he looked really fat. I will try to get a picture of him tomorrow morning if he comes back. |
Alisa Hornberg 9/24/2019 |
Location: Homer Valley, Winona County Caught on trail cam |
Dan W. Andree |
Location: I filmed and photographed this fisher a few years or so back in the woods along the Wild Rice River in Norman Co. Mn. They do exist there today as I have seen tracks in the snow and occasional glimpse near a water hole in the woods in summer since. It seemed curious about me and only got anxious when it wanted to come down out of the tree. I was below and it got a |
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little nervous and started making these little chuckling sounds so I backed away and it came down the back of the tree peeking around keeping an eye on me and then scampered off away into the woods. I did not seem threatening at all. |
Jamie Waltzing 8/1/2017 7:25 AM |
Location: East of Miltona MN, south of Rose City. This is the approximate intersection: County 68 and Willow Road Trail camera Photo. |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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