 Classification and Range
Fishers belong to the family Mustelidae, which includes badgers, mink, martens, otters, skunks, weasels and wolverines. Fishers are classified under the subfamily Mustelinae, which has a total of 33 species in nine genera.* There is only one species of fisher, which is also called the pekan.
The fisher is found only in North America. It is distributed along the Pacific Northwest coast from British Columbia to northern California; in the interior it ranges from the panhandle of Idaho and western Montana up to northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Its range also spans eastward to Newfoundland; and soutward into the Appalachian regions and many of the New England states.
Habitat The fisher prefers dense forest environments, with thick, high overhead canopies. Fishers avoid open spaces with no overhead cover. Although fishers spend most of their  time on the ground, they are quite capable of climbing trees, with the ability of jumping from one tree to another. Length
Head and body: Up to 25 inches (63 cm)
Tail: Up to 17 inches (43 cm) Weight
Males: 5.7-12.1 pounds (2.6-5.5 kg); females 2.9-7 pounds (1.3-3.2 kg) Life Span
About 10 years in the wild; longer in zoos Diet
In the wild: Small to medium sized birds and mammals and carrion. At times they may feed on fruits and nuts. At the zoo: Canine diet, carrots, kibble, apples, dog biscuit, fruit, day-old chicks and treats Reproduction
Fishers reach sexual maturity from 1-2 years of age. Both sexes are predominantly solitary except during the breeding season, which occurs in the beginning of March. Gestation lasts about 51 weeks. The gestation period is long because the fertilized egg is delayed several months before implanting on the uterine wall. An average size litter of three young are born from late February through April in dens situated high in hollow trees. Females mate almost immediately after giving birth, and are therefore pregnant most of the time. Life Cycle
Young are born blind and helpless, but after four weeks are able to eat meat. At about 7 weeks their eyes open, and they begin to walk at approximately 9 weeks. The female may move her young several times to alternate dens. By 17 to 18 weeks, they are weaned and ready to leave the den. Except for raising young, fishers normally do not have a permanent den. Instead, they seek temporary shelter in hollow trees and logs, stumps, holes in the ground, or wherever they can find seclusion. The fishers home range appears to encompass one to four square miles (2.6-10.4 sq km). Home ranges of males seldom overlap, and males are not tolerant of one another. There is wide overlapping of territories between males and females. Territories are identified through scent marking. Opportunistic Hunters The fisher is largely an opportunist when hunting. Most of its hunting consists of the chance investigation of sites where small mammals are likely to be found. Fishers kill all prey, except porcupines, by biting them through the back of the head. The fisher is one of the few predators that eats porcupines. The hunting of a porcupine is hard work and a successful kill may take half an hour. The arrangement of quills on a porcupine protects it from an attack to the back of the neck. To counter this pointy defense, the fisher circles the porcupine and bites at its face until the porcupine suffers shock or is unable to protect itself. The fisher then overturns the porcupine and begins to feed on its belly. As would be expected, fishers may sustain some injury from the quills of their victims, but even though quills sometimes penetrate a fisher's intestines, they seldom appear to cause serious damage to the animal. Porcupines are not an essential part of the fisher's diet because fishers live in areas not inhabited by this prey species. Bigger and Stronger The fisher is a close relative of the marten. Similar in structure and body proportions, the fisher is nearly twice as large as a marten, and four times as heavy. Their coats also differ. The fisher's coat is very dark brown to blackish brown with gold to silver hoariness on the head and shoulders. Fishers have strong, moderately large feet with hairy soles. Each foot has five toes that terminate in sharply curved, partially retractable claws. The legs and tail are black. The chest has a variable cream-colored patch. Fascinating Facts |
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