UW5766 - Martes americana, Skull

* Period/Epoch: Quaternary / Pleistocene * Rock Formation: Unknown * State, County: Colorado, Larimer Taxonomy: Mammalia>Carnivora>Mustelidae>Martes americana Martes americana, the American pine marten, is a carnivorous mustelid mammal, closely related to ferrets and weasels. Their current range is predominantly in Canada, with some populations along the Rocky Mountains of the United States and the coast of California in matured conifer and deciduous forests. The American pine marten is around 2 feet long at maturity, and weighs between 1 and 3 pounds, and are extremely lightweight animals. Martens as a group were first found in the fossil record during the Miocene, though this specific specimen is dated to the late Pleistocene. This specimen shows a complete skull. Scanned with the David SLS-2