Martes martes
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English: Pine marten
German: Baummarder
French: Martre
Spanish: Marta silvestre
Distribution areas
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The pine marten and a very similar
species, Martes foina, are found in the
wooded areas of Europe and Asia. About
eight varieties of the marten are known to
live in the northern hemisphere.
Description of the fur The surface structure
---------------------- of the skin, 200x
The skin of marten is from 40 to 70 cm
long. The hair coat is dark-brown in colour on the back (sometimes
grey-brown), and yellow on the belly and lower neck. The Martes foina variety
is white on the lower part of the neck. The undercoat is lighter in colour,
and about 10 mm thick. The guard hairs are straight and up to 35 mm long.
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Martes martes
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English: Pine marten
German: Baummarder
French: Martre
Spanish: Marta silvestre
Structure of the hair
---------------------
The microscopic structure of the skin
surface is usually furrowed; the hairs
follicles are narrow with straight edges.
The average follicle contains from 5 to 15
hair fibres.
The fine fur fibres have a diameter of 9 Transverse section
to 18 µm. Their cross-section is circular of a fine fur fibre, 2000x
at the bottom, and straight-sided in the
upper part, of the shaft. The cuticular scales are cornet-like on the lowest
part of the shaft, and are longer and petal-like in the upper parts. The
scale surface of the lower part of the shaft is grooved and, in the middle
and upper parts, usually smooth. The scale margins are straight. The medulla
is narrow, unbroken and symmetrically situated in the central axial part of
the shaft. The medullar structure is of the uniserial ladder type with an
amorphous infilling substance.
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Martes martes
-------------
English: Pine marten
German: Baummarder
French: Martre
Spanish: Marta silvestre
The intermediate fibres are circular and
ellipsoidal in cross-sectional outline.
Their diameter is in the range of 20 to 30
µm. The cuticular scales are petal-like
with a smooth surface and straight scale
margins. The medullar column is narrow,
unbroken and central symmetrical-shaped in
cross-section. The overall structure of the
medulla belongs to the uniserial ladder A group of the fine hairs,
type with an amorphous infilling material. 400x
The guard hairs have a circular and ellipsoidal outline in cross-section,
with a diameter of 30 to 80 µm. The cuticular scales are even tile-like in
shape at the bottom of the shaft but crenated tile-like in the upper parts.
The scale surface at the bottom is grooved and, in the upper parts of the
shaft, smooth. The scale margins are straight or rippled. The medulla is
wide, unbroken, central symmetrical-shaped in cross-section and belongs to
the lattice type with a complex-sheet-like infilling substance in the
medullar column.
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Martes martes
-------------
English: Pine marten
German: Baummarder
French: Martre
Spanish: Marta silvestre
Longitudinal section
of an intermediate fibre, 1000x
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Martes martes
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English: Pine marten
German: Baummarder
French: Martre
Spanish: Marta silvestre
Transverse section
of a guard hair, 600x
Numerical code for pine marten skin surface
-------------------------------------------
Surface of the skin: 3-4-3
Fine fur fibres: 6.1-11.5-1.2-1-3-1-1-1-8-9.18-6.15
Intermediate fibres: 2.1-11-1-1-3-1-1-1-8-20.35-15.25
Guard hairs: 2.1-2.4-2.1-1.2-2-1-1-8-4-30.81-20.35
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