Januari 19, 2017
- i'm coyote peterson, and hanging out up in that tree is one of the wiliest members of the weasel family. i'm going to climb up there and try to get it down so you guys can get a closer look. (adventure themed music) exploring the wilds of montana is unlike any other experience in north america. your odds of seeing animals in their natural environment are pretty good.
today i'm headed into a high altitude pine forest to work with a member of the weasel family that you probably have never heard of and i bet you've never seen. get ready, she is adorable, but don't be fooled she is also one of themost voracious predators in the forest ecosystem. ever since i was a kid i've been an absolute cat at climbing trees, today's going to be
a little different, though because i'm going up there with the american pine martin. this is a member of the weasel family, so they're pretty wily. related to the wolverine, the badger and the skunk. i see her, she's right up here. i'm going to go up there, try to get her down
so i can show you guys some of her coolest features. this tree's dead, soit should give you guys some good shots. hopefully i can get a gentle handle just around her midsection. up a tree after a pine martin. (suspenseful music) she's kicking bark down in my face. probably a good defense tactic if i was a predator.
(whispering to self) alright. i'm going to make a reach for her and i'm going to be as gentle as possible so i don't risk taking a bite. got her. woo! now the real challenge,getting back down. i've worked withvenomous snakes, snapping turtles, and a number of different other creatures,
my heart is racing rightnow climbing up a tree holding on to a pine martin. alright. here we go, ready? i'm jumping down. (sigh of relief) look at her, how beautiful is that little mustelid? one of the coolest features about the pine martin is they are the only member of the weasel family with semi-retractable claws.
that's how these crazy little slinkys can jump all over in the tree branches up there. it's very rare that you would ever see a pine martin on the ground, they live arboreal lives. they spend most of their time up there hunting for squirrels which is their primary source of food. what they will do is chase squirrels through the trees, lunge, actually can grabthem out of mid-air, and then they want to bite to the back of the neck.
you see those long little canine teeth there are perfect for inflicting that death wound and then of course, they have their meal. see this real light orange-ish coloration underneath her throat right there? one distinct sign that will easily allow you to identify a pine martin if you ever see one out in the wild. i just want to try to stay as calm as i can right now.
if i stay calm, she will stay calm. this is a pine martin that's being raised in captivity the only way that i'm able to climb up into this tree, bring her down, and give you guys an up close look is because she's usedto being around humans. you could never approach and go after one of these animals in the wild. she is an ambassador for her species promoting conservation and an all around love
of mustelids. yeah, aren't you cute? look at those ears, theyhave incredible hearing. this is one of the most agile members of the weasel family and they do havebeautiful coats. unbelievably soft, they've got a coarser guard hair on the outside, and if you feel up underneath here really soft and fluffy. most of the time you can find pine martins
in any high altitude environment. they're sticking to the pine trees, hence the name pine martin, and they are able to tough through some ofthe coldest temperatures here in montana. what an amazing experience, climbing in a pine tree with the american pine martin. i want to know what your favorite member of the weasel family is?
tell me about it in thecomment section below. i'm coyote peterson, be brave, stay wild, we'll see you on the next adventure. alright, you ready to go? let's get the heck out of here! if you thought thatwas one wild adventure, check out these other animal encounters! and don't forget, subscribe to follow me and the crew on this season of breaking trail.
this episode of breaking trail was brought to you by the buypower card from capitol one. every purchase brings you closer to a new chevrolet, buick, gmc, or cadillac vehicle. (animal sounds)
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