Description

The pine marten's fur is chestnut to dark brown in colour, the throat patch is yellowish brown and rounded downwards and not white and forked as in the stone marten. The winter coat is long and silky, in summer its fur is shorter and rougher. Like many martens, it has an elongated body with relatively short legs, the soles are very hairy. The tail is relatively long and bushy, it serves as a balance organ when climbing and jumping. The head is characterised by the triangular, yellow-rimmed ears, the nose is dark - unlike that of the stone marten. The snout-vent length of these animals is 45 to 58 cm, the tail is 16 to 28 cm long.

Its habitat is woodland, mainly deciduous and mixed woodland. Sometimes it can also be seen in large parks. In the mountains it can be found up to the tree line. Pine martens are tree dwellers to a greater extent than other representatives of the true martens. They are very good climbers and jumpers, and can climb up to four metres. When climbing, they are able to turn their feet 180 degrees. They build a number of nests in their territory, primarily in tree hollows, but sometimes also in abandoned squirrel cobs or birds of prey nests. They retreat to these resting places during the day and go in search of food at dusk and at night.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baummarder). On wikipedia the text is available under „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

Stone martens have the usual marten physique with an elongated, slender rump and relatively short limbs. The tail is relatively long and bushy. The second species of marten living in Central Europe, the pine marten, differs externally in the shape and colour of the throat patch. 

In the stone marten, this is white and often forked and can extend to the forelegs, whereas in the pine marten it is yellowish and rounded. The fur of these animals is grey-brown in colour and rough.

Other differences to the pine marten are the pale nose and the hairless soles. The stone marten is also somewhat shorter, but heavier than its relative. The animals reach a head length of 40 to 54 cm, a tail length of 22 to 30 cm and a weight of 1.1 to 2.3 kg.

As the only representative of the true martens, the stone marten is not a distinct forest dweller. It prefers open, bushy or tree-covered and often rocky terrain and can be found in mountains up to 4000 m above sea level. As a synanthropic animal, it is often seen in the vicinity of human settlements, where it stays in parks, barns or attics, which is why it is also called a roof marten or house marten.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinmarder). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

European polecats, or forest polecats, have a slender, elongated body with short limbs. The coat is dark brown or black, the yellowish undercoat shimmers through the outer hairs. The snout is whitish, as is the area behind the eyes and the tips of the ears. Black patches around and in front of the eyes provide a mask-like face pattern. The coat is the same colour in summer and winter, but the summer coat is much thinner.

Despite the name forest polecat, the polecat is not a distinct forest dweller; its habitat tends to be the open edges of forests, but also fields and meadows. It is often found near water bodies and wetlands. Sometimes it settles close to villages and on farms, where stables and barns are also part of its hunting ground.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europäischer_Iltis). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

The white polecat looks very similar to the European or forest polecat, but has a lighter-coloured coat and grows slightly larger. Like all polecats, it has an elongated, slender body with short limbs. The coat has a low, yellow undercoat and some black kemps. The belly and legs are black, and it also has a black face mask.

The white polecat is mainly found in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. Its western limit of distribution is in the eastern parts of Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. It inhabits open areas such as steppes and semi-deserts, but also lives in fields and wasteland. It does not occur at all in forests and towns.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppeniltis). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

Stoats have the elongated, slender body typical of many martens, with rather short legs and a short tail. In the summer coat they show the typical colouration of many weasels with brown upperparts and white underpart. In the winter coat it is completely white, with the exception of a black tail tip, which makes it clearly distinguishable from the common weasel. However, this change of coat does not take place in all parts of the range. In warmer areas, stoats are brown and white all year round, but in the far north they never lose their white winter coat. The animals reach a snout-vent length of 17 to 33 cm, the tail is four to twelve cm long and their weight is 40 to 360 g. 

Stoats inhabit a range of landscape types, although near-water habitats seem to be preferred. There is no apparent biotope attachment, instead there is a close association with the occurrence of Eurasian water voles, field voles and common voles. Structurally rich landscapes, e.g. with meadows, hedges and copses or residential gardens, are typical. Closed forests, however, are avoided. Stoats can be found at altitudes of up to 3400 m.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermelin). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

The common weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores (Carnivora), although there are considerable differences in size in its large range. The length of the head varies between 11 and 26 cm, the tail between 2 and 8 cm and the weight between 25 and 250 g. The weasels in North America are generally smaller than those in Eurasia. Animals in North America generally remain smaller than those in Eurasia, where they are known as least weasels. Females are also smaller and lighter on average than males. The coat of the least weasel is distinguished from the stoat by the jagged line between the brown upper side and the white underpart, as well as by brown feet and a brown tail (without the black tip).

As with stoats, common weasels can also change their coat to a white winter coat, but this is very rare in Central Europe. There are regional populations, for example in the Nock Mountains in Austria or in Lithuania, which also change to white in winter.

Common weasels inhabit a range of habitats, including grassland and vineyard fallows, forest edges, meadows and pastures. They reach high population densities in summer, especially in agricultural areas. Linear structures such as hedges, untended ditches, old grass strips and field margins are used for locomotion and hunting. Deep forests, deserts and mountains above 3000 m altitude are avoided.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauswiesel). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

American mink have an elongated body with relatively short limbs and tail. The face is flat and pointed, the toes are partly webbed as an adaptation to the semiaquatic lifestyle. An anal gland secretes a musky secretion, the smell of which is sometimes described as more penetrating than that of skunks. The soft, dense fur is water-repellent, its basic colouration is brown. The chin is coloured white, sometimes white patches are visible on the throat and belly. Through breeding, many colour variations are now available. The animals reach a head trunk length of 30 to 43 cm, a tail length of 13 to 23 cm and a weight of 0.7 to 2.3 kg, whereby the males become considerably heavier than the females. American minks can thus grow much heavier than their European cousins.

Originally, the species was restricted to North America. It occurred in Alaska, nearly all of Canada (except the extreme north), and the core United States (the 48 contiguous states) except the southwestern portions. Since the 1950s, escaped or released animals from mink farms have also spread into Europe, largely displacing the native European mink.

American mink are water-bound. They can be found along rivers and lakes as well as in swamps and marshes. However, they need shore areas densely covered with vegetation. They also inhabit estuaries and coastal islands.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerikanischer_Nerz). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021

Description

Its body length is between 41 and 71 cm, not including the bushy tail, which is between 19.2 and 40.5 cm long, but usually not much longer than 25 cm. The characteristic facial markings of the raccoon with the black coloured face mask around the eyes, which contrasts sharply with the surrounding white fur, are similar to those of the raccoon dog. The slightly rounded ears are also framed by white fur. On the rest of the body, the long and water-repellent outer fur is coloured in various shades of grey and, to a lesser extent, brown. Raccoons with very dark coloured fur are mainly found in the German population, as there were individual animals with such fur markings in the founder population.

Unusual for a predator are also the five free-standing fingers, although the mobility of the front paws is not comparable to that of primate hands due to the non-opposable thumb. 

Apart from urbanised animals, water-rich mixed and deciduous forests with a high proportion of oak trees are the preferred habitat of raccoons. Here they find enough food and shelter. In case of danger, they take refuge in a tree; they therefore avoid open areas. Raccoons are good swimmers and prefer to live near rivers or other bodies of water, where they find most of their animal food.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipediaa (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waschbär). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 13 September 2021

Description

Seen from the side, the body of the wild boar appears stocky and massive. This impression is intensified by the legs, which are short and not very strong compared to the large body mass. In relation to the body, the head also appears almost oversized. It tapers off in a wedge shape towards the front. The eyes lie high up in the head and are directed obliquely forward. The ears are small and surrounded by a rim of shaggy bristles. The short, stocky and not very mobile neck is only visible when wild boars wear their summer coat. In the winter coat, the head appears to merge directly into the rump. From the forehead to over the back runs a crest of long bristles that can be raised.

The body height decreases towards the hind legs. The body ends in a tail that reaches down to the heel joints and is very mobile. With it, the wild boar signals its mood by pendulum movements or by lifting. Seen from the front, the body appears narrow.

The adult male can be distinguished from the female - when viewed from the side - by the shape of the snout. While it is long and straight in the female, it appears shorter in the male.

fur of adult and one-year old animals

The fur of the wild boar is dark grey to brown-black in winter with long bristly outer hairs and short fine woolly hairs. The woolly coat covers the entire body except for some parts of the head and the lower part of the legs.

In spring, the wild boar loses the long, dense winter coat and has a short, wool-free summer coat with light-coloured hair tips. The change of coat takes place over a period of about three months and begins in Central Europe in the months of April to May. Wild boars appear much slimmer in their summer coat. Wild boars of previous years begin to change to winter coat as early as the end of July or beginning of August. In adult wild boars, the change to the winter coat does not begin until September. The change of coat is completed in November.

spotted wild boars

In free-ranging wild boar populations, individuals with black-brown to black spots of different sizes on a lighter background are frequently found. Occasionally, even black-and-white and black-and-brown-and-white spotted wild boars are observed.

fur of the juvenile wild boars

Wild boars adapt to a wide variety of habitats. This is due to the fact that they are omnivorous and can quickly find new food niches. Wild boar's ability to break up the ground gives them access to food that is not available to other large mammals. They are also excellent swimmers and have good thermal insulation, allowing them to adapt to wet areas. However, high snow hinders their locomotion and thus their search for food. Therefore, wild boars are absent in high mountainous areas.

In climatically temperate Central Europe, wild boars develop the highest population density in deciduous and mixed forests, which have a high proportion of oaks and beeches and in which there are marshy regions and meadow-like clearings.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildschwein). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 16 September 2021

Description

Adult roe deer have a body length of 93 to 140 cm and reach a shoulder height of between 54 and 84 cm. They weigh between 11 and 34 kg, depending on their nutritional status. Female roe deer do not wear antlers.

Due to several characteristics, the roe deer is classified as the so-called "Schlüpfertypus". Unlike the red deer, which escapes with a fast, persistent run when disturbed and is assigned to the "Läufertypus", the roe deer seeks cover in the thicket with a few quick jumps when disturbed. It has a slightly curved and forward sloping backbone, which makes the croup higher than the withers. The antlers of the ram are relatively small. The wedge-shaped body is adapted to silently weaving through dense vegetation. The legs are slender and long in relation to the rump, the hind legs are strongly bent at the hock.

The head is short in proportion to the body length, in profile it appears almost triangular. The ears are long oval and pointed and correspond in length to about two thirds of the length of the head. The neck is slender and longer than the head. The coat is shiny in summer on the upperparts and outerparts of the body, whereby the colouring can vary individually from a dark brown-red to a pale yellow. The inside of the legs and the underbelly are lighter and more yellowish. The region around the anus, called the mirror, stands out from the rest of the coat and is usually a yellowish white colour. Rams have a small white patch on the chin and on each side of the upper lip, and there is often a white patch above the nose. The ears of both sexes are brown-grey on the outside with a dark to black rim, whereas the inside of the ear is light grey to white. The transition from summer to winter coat takes place in September and October. At first it is inconspicuous because the red summer hair covers the growing grey winter hair for a long time. In contrast, the change of coat, which is visible to an observer, is very rapid and is completed within a week in healthy deer. In winter, the colour of the coat varies between light and dark grey. Even in winter coat, the underparts are lighter than the upper parts of the body. The change from winter to summer coat takes place in Central Europe in the period from March to April. The summer hair is first visible on the head, then on the withers. 

The fawn's coat is reddish brown and initially has white spotting on the back and flanks. This white spotted pattern gradually becomes less distinct from the age of one month and disappears by the age of two months due to overgrowth by red summer hairs. Under the long red hairs, the white and brown fawn hairs are still present until the change into the winter coat.

In the forest landscape of Europe, the roe deer inhabited forest clearings, forest edge zones as well as other habitats rich in undergrowth and with few trees, such as riparian areas, deltas and reeds that do not merge into forest landscapes. The forest areas that are now interspersed or surrounded by agricultural land offer the roe deer significantly more habitat. The population density here is 10 to 20 times higher than in forest areas whose tree population has a natural age structure. Optimal roe deer habitats consist of a tightly meshed mosaic of forestry and agricultural areas and feature thickets, old-growth woods, meadows, as well as tracks and roadsides overgrown with shrubs and herbs.

Regions with harsh winters and high, long-lasting snow cover are not very suitable for roe deer, as they have difficulty moving around and reaching food in high snow. In such regions, roe deer spend the winter in sometimes relatively small areas where less snow accumulates due to topographical features. Deer are also successful cultural successors that also colonise habitats that have been heavily modified by humans. Due to their relatively small size, even small forest remnants or hedges are sufficient cover for them. Accordingly, roe deer also colonise the open agricultural steppe.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reh). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 23 September 2021