Martens can be found almost everywhere in the world. However, their habitats are quite different depending on the species: While otters stay in water and pine martens in forests, weasels avoid dense forests and water. Find out more about the habitats of the marten family and real martens below.
Where do the different species of martens live?
Martens prefer different habitats: stone martens live close to people, for example in houses or cars, pine martens in forests, otters in inland waters, polecats in open forests or grasslands and mouse weasels and stoats in meadows, hedges and forest edges.
Habitat of martens
The real martens include two species that occur here: the pine marten and the stone marten, also known as the domestic marten. The last one is the marten that repeatedly causes trouble in houses, cars or barns.
Beech marten habitat
Beech martens live close to people, nest on roofs, in walls or elsewhere in the house and often cause damage. Their territories are extremely large at 0.2 to 2km2. Within this area they have several hiding places that they visit alternately.
Tip
It can therefore happen that a marten no longer visits an attic for several weeks and the residents come to the conclusion that they have successfully driven it away. But martens usually come back.
Pine marten habitat
Pine martens, on the other hand, avoid people. True to their name, they live near trees, i.e. in forests, preferably deciduous or mixed forests. Pine martens are quite rare because they are extremely shy.
Habitats of other martens
| Martenart | Other names | habitat | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter | water marten | Inland waters | Everywhere except Australia and a few islands |
| Badger | Forests | Europe, North Africa, Asia | |
| Pikelet | Open forests, steppes or grasslands | Temperate regions in Eurasia and North America | |
| Mink | Swamp Adder | Vegetated bank areas of inland waters | Formerly all of Europe, today mainly Eastern Europe |
| Mouseweasel | Small weasel, dwarf weasel | Pastures, meadows, sparse forests, agricultural areas, forest edges | North America, Eurasia |
| Ermine | Short-tailed Weasel, Large Weasel | Meadows, hedges, gardens, woods, no dense forests, preferably near water | North America, Eurasia |
