Mountain marten, stone marten — Martes foina Erxb. (in Kyrgyz: суу cap)
Kyrgyzstan is inhabited by a Central Asian subspecies of the stone marten, which is relatively large in size. It is found in almost all mountainous regions of the republic, predominantly in the mid-mountain altitude zone. The population density is generally quite low, averaging about 0.015 individuals per 10 km². The highest density is observed in the mountains of the Osh region, where there are 0.021 individuals per 10 km². Slightly fewer martens are found in the mountains of the eastern part of the Preissykul region — 0.019 individuals per 10 km². The mountains of Northern Kyrgyzstan are inhabited half as often — 0.009 individuals per 10 km². The lowest population density is noted in the Inner Tian Shan — only 0.004 individuals per 10 km².
In our conditions, the marten is almost exclusively a mountain animal, preferring rocky and stony gorges without a stable snow cover. This is one of the reasons for its relatively high numbers in the mountains of Southern Kyrgyzstan. In the Preissykul region, it mainly inhabits coniferous forests, although it is distributed very sporadically.
There is little information on the marten's diet. Its food mainly consists of small mammals and birds; it readily eats rowan and raspberry berries; according to hunters, in the high mountains, it often preys on snowcocks, while in the lower zones, it hunts for grouse. In the stomachs we examined, we found remains of mountain voles and forest mice. In Southern Kyrgyzstan, in the Batken region, at the entrance to a cave where a colony of hibernating large horseshoe bats was discovered, the feces of the stone marten contained bat hairs.
According to literary sources, it also feeds on invertebrates, various plant foods (mainly berries and fruits), and less frequently on lizards and fish. It primarily hunts during the dark hours of the day but can sometimes be active during the daytime.
There is no information on the breeding season and the number of young in a litter in Kyrgyzstan. In European Russia, marten breeding occurs in late March to early April, with an average of 3–7 young per litter. By early July, the young almost reach the size of adults. The mating season lasts from June to August.
It is listed in the Red Book.
Red Book
