New Englanders -google Fisher Cats
they are the Weasel family- Native to New England-Please read &
possibly use to kill the bill!
We have the North American Ferrets ( which are endangered), and our
domesticated ferrets are also kin to weasels, mink, polecats, skunks,
badgers, sea and river otters. More so, the family of Mustelidae have
been around for a very long time. Furthermore, the Mustelidae is
probably the oldest extant family in the Carnivora.
New England Fisher Cats
Posted by Fisher Cat on March 1st, 2009 in General Information About
Fisher Cats
Fishers by nature do not like open spaces and prefer tree cover or
coniferous forests to dwell in. heavily wooded places like New England
make an ideal habitat for Fisher cats.
New England Fisher cats are one of the largest members of the Mustelid
family, which includes species like the mink, weasel, otter and skunk.
These are noted nocturnal animals and therefore very hard to observe.
They are however active during both daytime as ell as night time and
that too, mostly during the time just before sunset and just before
sunrise, when it mainly searches for food. Their cry is similar to that
of a high pitched one of a child's and therefore can sound very eerie
in the nights.
The fisher cat second in size only to the river otter, and ranks
amongst the largest members of the weasel family ever, to dwell in
Massachusetts. These animals were displaced and their numbers dwindled
many years ago, when the farmers cleared the forests and surrounding
areas for agriculture. Fishers who are susceptible to trapping and
logging were badly affected during this time and were forced to move
out into other neighboring areas such as scattered locations in
Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Virginia. However due to
their departure from the aforementioned area, the porcupine population
started swelling; and in order to control this menace, the people of
New England re-introduced the fishers to curb the porcupine numbers.
Nowadays, fishers can be found in virtually all areas or communities
in Massachusetts, with the exception of Cape Cod and the Islands.
Until very recently, only rare reports of fisher sightings have been
reported by the Massachusetts Audubon Society; however, since 2000,
these sightings have increased substantially in number especially in
areas of eastern Massachusetts. Reasons for this increase in number
have been attributed to reforestation of land, which was previously
reserved for farming.
There have been many wildlife laws in place which dictate the manner
in which these fishers are to be captured in required to control their
numbers and humanely destroyed. These laws have helped keep a check on
their habitat and numbers.
Fishers are reserved by nature and are solitary in their mannerisms.
They are not known to hunt in groups and are only seen in groups during
the mating season. These animals will never den near human dwellings
and normally keep their distance from humans.
Even thought their numbers have increased in New England area in US,
fishers are hardly a threat to humans even thought they are known
carnivores. Fishers prefer snowshoe hares, mice shrews, carrion, etc,
and have been known to eat fruit and berries too. It is one of the few
animals, which can attack, kill and eat a porcupine!
The population density is known to be one per 2.6 - 7.5 sq. km, but can
be as low as 1 per 200 sq. km. The daily movement is observed to be 1.5
to 3 km in a day, but this distance is known to vary given the weather
conditions. Fishers walk on the soles of their feet and can climb and
swim very well. The fisher paws, have, on its soles large surfaces to
help it run on snow without sinking in easily. If its disturbed by any
creature or anything, fisher cats tend to arch its back like a cat and
is known to hiss, growl, snarl or spit as well as give off an offensive
odor!
The fishers are known for their thick fur coats, which provide good
insulation against the cold and inclement weather.
[Posted in FML 6302]
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