Gimme shelter: anthropogenic structures as resting sites for American Marten (Martes americana)

• Published in: The Canadian Field-Naturalist
• Main Authors: Jung, Thomas, Slough, Brian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2022
• Subjects: commensal; human-widlife interactions; resting site; synurbic; urbanization; mesocarnivore; American Marten; Martes americana; Canada; Yukon; American marten
• Online Access: https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2725; https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v135i4.2725

Several species of martens (Martes spp.) are reported to use buildings as resting or den sites. However, such behaviour has not been attributed to American Marten (Martes americana). We report American Marten using occupied buildings and evidence of suspected use of an abandoned cabin, as resting sites in southern Yukon, Canada. These observations further highlight the behavioural flexibility of North American species of Martes with regard to using novel structures as resting sites.