Maine Archives - Krebs Creek

The fisher or fisher cat (Pekania pennanti) is a small, dark-colored carnivorous mammal that is a member of the weasel family. These animals are native to the forests of North America in general and Maine in particular. They live as far to the northwest as southeastern Alaska and British Columbia. In northeastern North America, aside from Maine, they are also located in Southern Canada, New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. Some other common names that the fisher cat is known by, depending on the region, are pekan, wejak, or tree otter. Their common name, "fisher", is actually a misnomer as these animals generally do not eat fish. Although they will occasionally eat a fish carcass if they come upon one next to a body of water. , Fishers derived their common name due to their vague resemblance to the European polecat, which is sometimes called a fichet or fitche. See, Fitche is a Dutch word for polecat. Where do fisher cats live in Maine? According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Service, fishers or fisher cats are native to the most heavily wooded spruce-fur regions of northern Maine. However, they are also endemic to all forested areas throughout their range. In Maine, there are large sections of abandoned agricultural areas in the southern and central parts of the state. These areas have reverted back to the forest. The percentage of forest in Maine has contracted and expanded through the state's history. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, European settlers settled and cleared over three million acres of forest in central and southern Maine for farmland. However, in the post-Civil War years, many people abandoned their farms in Maine to look for more productive land in the Midwest or moved to industrialized cities in the northeastern United States. See As people abandoned their farmlands, the forests returned. Fisher populations have reacted accordingly. See Currently, Maine's woods cover around 90% of the state. All of this makes good fisher habitat. What do fisher cats look like? The Fisher is a small carnivorous mammal that is a member of the Mustelid family. In other words, they are members of the weasel family. Other mustelids include weasels, mink, badgers, otters, pine martens, and wolverines. They were once taxonomically classified in the Martes genus along with the American Martin. In fact, their former scientific name was (Martes pennanti). However, in the 21st century, zoologists determined that the fisher cat is a distinct enough species to be placed in its own genus. The current scientific name for a fisher is (Pekania pennanti). The fisher is similar in appearance to the marten (Martes americana) but is slightly larger in size. They have a long slender body that is covered with dense dark brown to blackish brown fur with short legs. Additionally, they have low-rounded ears, a tapered muzzle, and a bushy tail. People sometimes mistake a fisher for a large black cat. However, they are not remotely related to domestic cats. Male fishers have a light coloration on their face, head, and shoulders. The fur on males is also coarser than that on the females, but both are darkest on the tail and legs. Both sexes have two small white patches of fur in the frontal armpit areas. Additionally, have 38 teeth, including flat-topped molars, which are useful for chewing, and 4 sharp canine teeth. Fishers have five toes on each foot with semi-retractable claws. What's more, their feet are proportionately large, making it easier for them to run on top of the snow. They also have four central pads on each of their feet and mobile ankle joints, capable of rotating the hind paws at about 180 degrees, making it easier for them to maneuver up and down trees. In fact, the fisher is one of the few mammals that have the ability to descend trees head-first. See Fisher cat size Adult fishers are sexually dimorphic in size. Adult Males are 35 to 47 inches (90 to 120 cm) long and weigh 8 to 30 pounds. Meanwhile, adult Females look similar to males but are smaller. Adult female fishers will weigh 4 to 10 pounds (2.0 to 4.5 kg) and be 30 to 37 inches (75 to 95 cm) in length. See A female fisher has silkier fur than does a male. In fact, the fur on older male fisher cats becomes rather ruff and coarse in comparison Fisher Climbing a Tree by Douglas H. Domedion What do fisher cats eat? Fishers are carnivores. In Maine, they prey on small mammals such as snowshoe hares and small rodents. Additionally, they consume upland birds such as wild turkeys, and carrion of road kill deer and moose. They are also one of the few predators that actively seek out and prey on porcupines. Fishers also eat non-meat items when they are seasonally available, such as fruits and nuts. Fisher cats are tough agile predators, so much so that they also prey on Canada lynx in Northern Maine. In a study that took place from 1999 through 2011, wildlife biologists captured and fitted 85 Canada lynx in northern Maine with radio collars so that they could investigate lynx mortalities as they occurred. The researchers found that predation was a leading cause of lynx mortality. What's more, they discovered that at least 14 out of the 65 lynx deaths that they investigated were caused by fishers. See Fishers are not as successful in preying on bobcats as they are on lynxes. They may occasionally kill bobcat kittens when their mother is away from the den. However, an adult bobcat is much more likely to prey on a fisher than vice versa. In rural and suburban woodland environments, domestic animals such as chickens, rabbits, domestic cats, and small dogs are all in danger if a fisher cat lives close by. See Look here for hints on how to keep fisher cats out of your chicken coop. Fisher cats and Snowshoe hares For fishers in the northern latitudes, the snowshoe hare is an important part prey animal. In fact, their population goes through cyclical changes correlated with snowshoe hare scarcity or abundance. Fisher cat populations in the contiguous United States aren’t as closely connected to snowshoe hare populations, though. See Fisher Cats and Porcupines Several animals eat porcupines, but they’re not the first choice on their menu due to the danger in their quills. Interestingly fisher cats seek out porcupines because they’re skilled and especially suited to hunt and kill them. When porcupines encounter a predator, they bristle up their quills and keep their protected backside towards their attacker. Here is a quote from Scott McLellan, who is an assistant regional wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. "Obviously, a porcupine has few predators because of how well-armed with quills it is (approximately 30,000), but one of the more fascinating prey/predator interactions exists between the porcupine and fisher. The fisher, which is a member of the weasel family, has carved out a hunting strategy that enables it to seek out and successfully kill porcupines. Known for being a very aggressive and opportunistic predator, the fisher has figured out how to repeatedly attack the only exposed part of the porcupine’s body (the face) that does not have any quills. The porcupine’s main method of defense, when possible, is to keep its face toward the trunk of a tree and charge backwards with a flailing tail." Fisher cats are built low to the ground. What’s more, they’re quick and nimble. Using these two advantages, they circle the porcupine and dart in to bite, scratching their unprotected face and head until they’re able to deliver a killing strike which probably amounts to crushing their skull. Porcupines are not usually safe when climbing trees since fishers attack them from the top side. They may be safe from fisher attacks if they are on branches and face away from the fisher or in a good position to hide their faces. Fisher cats move very fast, and with the help of their short legs, they can keep low on the ground. Additionally, fishers have strong claws that are useful for climbing purposes. Life History of Fisher Cats in Maine Outside of breeding season and raising their young, fishers are solitary creatures. They live reclusive lives in a home range that spans several square miles. Additionally, they mark their territories with urine, scat, and glandular secretions, which mostly come from their anal glands. They deposit at elevated signposts such as stumps or rocks. In the northeastern United States, fisher territories vary from 5-10 square miles. As a rule, males have larger home ranges than females. What's more, the territory of one male may overlap the territory of several females. Both male fishers and female fishers have eccrine glands between the soles of their feet. During the breeding season, these glands enlarge. This suggests that they are important in sending pheromonic messages to potential mates. The reproductive cycle for female fisher cats begins when they are one year of age. At this age, they have reached sexual maturity and are ready to breed. Male fisher cats are also sexually mature at one year of age. However, since female fishers are induced ovulaters, young male fishers may not be fully able to induce the female to ovulate in the act of mating. The mating season for Fishers is in March or April. Subsequently, the fertilized eggs grow into blastocysts that are approximately 1mm in diameter. Then all development ceases for 10 to 11 months. This is known as delayed implantation. If the female fisher is in good physical condition, the blastocysts will implant in the uterine wall in the next winter, and after a gestation period of around 31 days, a litter of 1-5 fisher kits will be born in late March or April. The only role that male fishers have in the reproductive process is during breeding. They take no part in raising the young. In fact, for the rest of the year, a male fisher is a solitary animal. Maternal dens for fishers are typically in the cavities of large trees. The kits are born blind and have very little fur in the beginning. Essentially, they are dependent on their mother for the next few months. However, they develop rapidly. By the time they are four months old, they are capturing their own prey, and by the time they are five months old, they disperse and go out on their own. In the wild, fisher cats have a life expectancy of up to 10 years. Are Fisher Cats Dangerous? It's true that fisher cats are fierce predators. They don't seem to take the size of their prey into consideration and are sometimes successful in taking down prey much bigger than they are, such as Canada lynx. To quote what Scott McLellan, who is an assistant regional wildlife biologist for the MDIFW, said in a September 28, 2018, National Geographic Article. “A fisher really doesn't have any boundaries in the size of the animal it's willing to attack,” See However, in the vast majority of cases, Fishers shy away from human contact. Other than the blood-curdling scream that they emit sometimes at night; people don't usually know that a fisher cat is in the area. There are exceptions to the rule, though. There are a few cases of people receiving nasty injuries from fisher cats. The following quote is from another Krebscreek Outdoor article entitled Are Fisher Cats Dangerous? In most cases, Fisher Cats are not considered dangerous to human beings. They are aggressive animals, but that aggression is turned toward other small mammals and other Fisher Cats. They tend to be shyer and would rather stay away from humans. However, there are, of course, exceptions to this rule where any wild animal may attack, if it feels threatened, so giving them their space is advisable. Here are some examples: Woman hospitalized after fisher cat attack. Boy, 12, attacked by Fisher Cat Trapping Fishers in Maine In the state of Maine, fishers are classified as a furbearer. It is valid to trap them with a trapping license in season. In 2023 the trapping for fishers, martins, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mink, opossums, otters, raccoons, red squirrels, skunks, ad weasels will run from October 29th through December 31st. In Maine, it is unlawful for trappers to take or possess more than 25 martins or 25 fishers during the trapping season. For more information on trapping fishers, see here.