What Kind of Animal Is Sable?
The sable (Martes zibellina) is a type of marten, a member of the mustelid family, which includes animals such as the weasel, otter, stoat, polecat and mink. Indigenous to northeastern Asia, this small carnivore has been highly prized for its fur and even teetered on the brink of becoming an endangered species.
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Description
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Sables have slender, low-slung bodies with short legs and bushy tails. Their fur is brown-black, except for a patch of gray, white or yellow fur at the throat. Adults vary in length from about 13 inches to nearly 2 feet, including the tail; males are slightly larger than females.
Range and Habitat
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The sable's range covers eastern Russia, northern China and northern Japan; however, they were once found as far west as Scandinavia. Their habitat includes coniferous forests--especially pine and larch--as well as flatlands and mountainous areas. They typically make their homes in hollow logs or old burrows.
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Feeding Habits
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Mainly carnivorous, sables feed on small animals such as squirrels, mice, rats, chipmunks, small birds, bird eggs and fish. Their diet also includes nuts and berries. Relying on their swiftness and agility, they hunt for their prey, killing them with their sharp teeth and claws. Though they normally stay on the ground, sables will climb trees to chase their quarry, and their lithe bodies allow them to squeeze into small animals' burrows.
Mating Habits
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Mating season for sables lasts from about mid-June to mid-August. During mating, the male bites the female on the neck, which causes her to ovulate, and their mating time can last three hours. The female's fertilized eggs can remain in her reproductive system for up to eight months before implanting in the womb; once they implant, gestation lasts from 25 to 45 days. Females may give birth to as many as seven kits, though a litter of three or four is typical. Sables will also mate with pine martens, producing the kida, a hybrid.
Life Cycle
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Kits are born blind--their eyes do not open until about a month after birth--and are dependent upon their mother for survival. Kits nurse for their first 7 weeks, after which their mother regurgitates solid food for them to eat. They can leave the den after 2 months, begin hunting with their mother at about 3 months and reach sexual maturity in 2 years. In the wild, sables can live up to 8 years; in captivity, however, they can reach 18 years.
Endangerment
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The sable's luxurious winter coat made it a prime target for the fur trade. Centuries of extensive hunting led to the animal's eradication in Europe and severe population decline in other areas. However, stricter hunting laws, as well as the development of sable farms, have allowed the sable population in the wild to rebound.
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