A mustelid of Japanese forests and other habitats, with yellowish-brown to dark-brown fur and a white to cream throat patch.
Adult males are larger than females. A long, furred tail extends behind the body.
In a subalpine shrubland in northern Japan, Japanese martens acted as seed carriers as well as fruit eaters. During the snow-free periods of a two-year study, three automatic cameras recorded martens more often than the other mammals. Researchers also examined marten droppings and found seeds from 11 plant species: eight woody plants and three herbs. These included a vine that grows at lower elevations.
Plants whose fruits martens foraged on had larger and heavier fruits, with greater flesh mass and volume, than plants they did not forage on. After eating fruit, a marten can carry seeds in its droppings as it moves, bringing plants from lower elevations into subalpine habitat. This feeding and movement links plant seeds across different elevations and can shape where plants grow.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global
The IUCN Red List global assessment lists the Japanese marten as Least Concern (LC). It was assessed on 3 March 2015 and published in 2015; the reported population trend is stable.