A marten of northern Asian forests, with fur ranging from light to dark brown.
Its winter coat is longer and fuller than its summer coat. A pale throat patch may be grey, white or light yellow.
In eastern Hokkaido, the Ezo sable's food records shifted with the seasons. In 193 fecal samples collected from 1998 to 2002, mammals appeared most often year-round; voles were found in 56.5% of samples. In summer, insects appeared in 48.8% of the feces. Plant material, mainly fruit, appeared in 45.7% of samples in autumn and 68.4% in winter.
The author suggested that the sable may use other foods as small-mammal prey fluctuates through the year. Winter had only 19 fecal samples, and snow may have caused some to be missed, so plant foods may have been underrepresented. The records show an animal that relies on small mammals while also eating seasonal insects and fruit.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global
The global IUCN assessment lists the sable as Least Concern (LC); it was assessed on 3 March 2015 and published in 2016. Japan's Ministry of the Environment Red List 2020 lists the Ezo sable (Martes zibellina brachyura) as Near Threatened (NT). The ministry's current page says the 2020 list remains the latest assessment for mammals. The global assessment covers the species, while Japan's entry names the Ezo sable.