Chapter 3: Fisher

Abstract

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium-size mammalian carnivore and the largest member of the genus Martes (Anderson 1970) of the family Mustelidae in the order Carnivora. The genus Martes includes five or six other extant species. The fisher has the general body build of a stocky weasel and is long, thin, and set low to the ground. A fisher's head is triangular with a pronounced muzzle, its ears are large but rounded, and its eyes face largely forward (Douglas and Strickland 1987). Adult male fishers generally weigh between 3.5 and 5.5 kg and are between 90 and 120 cm long. Adult female fishers weigh between 2.0 and 2.5 kg and are between 75 and 95 cm long.

Parent Publication

• The scientific basis for conserving forest carnivores: American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine in the western United States.

Citation

Powell, Roger A.; Zielinski, William J. 1994. Chapter 3: Fisher. In: Ruggiero, Leonard F.; Aubry, Keith B.; Buskirk, Steven W.; Lyon, L. Jack; Zielinski, William J., tech. eds. The scientific basis for conserving forest carnivores: American marten, fisher, lynx, and wolverine in the western United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-254. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. p. 38-73