The fisher is one of the largest and handsomest members of the weasel
family. Like others of this group, it is a long-bodied, short-legged
animal. It attains an extreme length of from 3 to 3½ feet and a weight
of 18 or 20 pounds, but the average is decidedly lower than these
figures. In general, it is like a gigantic marten, and from its size
and dark color is sometimes known locally as the “black cat” or “black
fox.”
It lives in the forested parts of Canada and the United States, where
it originally occurred from the southern shores of Hudson Bay and Great
Slave Lake south throughout most of eastern Canada and New England and
along the Alleghanies to Tennessee; also in the Great Lakes region,
south to the southern end of Lake Michigan; along the Rocky Mountains
to Wyoming, down the Cascades to northern California, and from the
Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and Maine to the Pacific coast of
southeastern Alaska and British Columbia. They still occur regularly
in the Adirondacks of New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont and
in Maine, but are gone from most of the southern border of their former
range.
Fishers are powerful and agile animals, probably for their size by far
the swiftest and most deadly of all our forest carnivores. So swift
and dextrous are they in the tree-tops that they not only capture
squirrels without difficulty, but are able to overtake and kill the
marten, almost an incredible feat. When in pursuit of their prey or
when alarmed, they make astonishing leaps from tree to tree. While not
so speedy on the ground as some other animals, they have the tireless
persistence of their kind and capture snowshoe hares in fair chase.
Among the habitants of the forest the fisher is a fearless and savage
marauder, which feeds on frogs, fish, and nearly every bird and mammal
its domain affords, except species so large that their size protects
them. Porcupines are among its favorite victims and are killed by being
turned over and attacked on their underparts. As a consequence of such
captures, the fisher often has many quills imbedded in its head and the
foreparts of its body.
The fisher, like many other predatory animals, has more or less regular
“beats” along which they make their rounds over the territory each
occupies. These rounds commonly require several days to accomplish. In
winter they keep mainly along wooded ridges, where they are trapped.
It follows trap lines like the wolverine and eats the bait or the
captured animal, but, unlike the wolverine, appears to have no
propensity for further mischief. When overtaken by dogs or when at war
with any of its forest rivals, it is so active and ferocious that it is
worthy all due respect from antagonists several times its size.
Although essentially a tree animal, much of the fisher’s time is spent
on the ground. In summer it appears to be fond of heavy forests in
low-lying situations and the vicinity of water. Its dens are usually
located in a hollow high up in a large tree, but sometimes in the
shelter of fallen tree trunks or crevices in the rocks, where, the last
of April or early in May, the young are born. These may number from
one to five, but are usually two or three. The young begin to follow
the mother in her wanderings when quite small and do not leave her
guardianship until nearly grown.
The fisher is not a common animal and only about 8,000 of its skins are
marketed each year. Owing to its size, it is conspicuous, and its very
fearlessness tends to jeopardize its existence. It is gone from most
of the southern part of its former range and will no doubt continue
steadily to lose ground with the increasing occupation of its haunts.
=OTTER= (=Lutra canadensis= and its relatives)
Land otters are common throughout a large part of the Old World,
and when America was explored the animals were found generally
distributed, and sometimes common, from the northern limit of trees
in North America to southern South America. Within this great area a
considerable number of species and geographic races of otters occur,
all having a close general resemblance in appearance and habits.
The Canadian otter is the well-known type throughout the United States,
Canada, and Alaska. It is a slender, dusky brown animal, from 4 to 5
feet in length, frequenting streams and lakes which contain a good
supply of fish. Otters are too short-legged to move easily on land, but
are remarkable for their admirable grace, agility, and swiftness in the
water. Although so poorly adapted to land travel, they are restless
animals, constantly moving up and down the streams in which they live
and often crossing from one stream to another. In the far north in
midwinter they travel surprising distances across snow-clad country,
following the banks of streams or passing between them searching for an
entrance to water, whether through the ice or in open rapids.
In Alaska I saw many otter trails in the snow crossing the Yukon and
through the adjacent forest. In such journeys it was evident that
the animals progressed by a series of long bounds, each leaving a
well-marked, full-length impression in the snow, so characteristic
that it could not be mistaken. These trails, often leading for miles
across country, always excited my deepest interest and wonder as to how
these animals could succeed in finding holes through the ice in this
vast snow-bound waste. Nevertheless they seemed to know full well, for
the trails always appeared to be leading straight away for some known
objective.
Although never very abundant, otters are so shy and solitary in their
habits that they have managed to retain almost all of their original
range. They occur now and then in the Potomac, near Washington,
and in other rivers throughout the country, where their tracks may
occasionally be detected on sand-bars and in the muddy shallows along
the banks. A sight of the animals themselves is rare. Their dens are
usually in the banks of streams or lakes above or below the surface of
the water, under the roots of large trees, or beneath rocky ledges.
Otters are extremely playful and amuse themselves by sliding down steep
banks into the water, repeatedly using the same place until a smooth
chute or “slide” is defined. They usually have two to five young, which
remain with the mother until nearly grown.
While close relatives of the weasel, they are much more intelligent,
have a gentler disposition, and make playful and most interesting
pets. Their fur is highly prized and always brings a good price in the
market. As a result, they have been persistently hunted and trapped
since our pioneer days. That the species should continue to exist,
though in much diminished numbers, throughout most of its original
range is a striking evidence of its retiring habits and mental
acuteness.
[Illustration: FISHER, OR PEKAN]
[Illustration: OTTER]
[Illustration: ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP]
[Illustration: COLLARED PECCARY, OR MUSKHOG]