Did You Know?
- The Yellow-Throated Marten is also known as the Kharza
- This Asian species is widely distributed and as a result have a stable population
- The Yellow-Throated Marten is the largest marten species in the Old World
- This particular marten is fearless and as such has no natural predators that they need to worry about
The Biggest Marten in the World
This large marten species, which just may be the oldest marten species in the world, can reach a length of 72 cm (2.4 ft) and can weigh up to 5.7 kg (12.6 lbs). Looking at these numbers, you may be thinking to yourself that this doesn’t sound like a world record holder; however, when you compare it to the 3 pound Beech Marten, you quickly realize this species is a giant. Not only is this marten species large but they also smell and I am not talking about a normal, wild animal smell. No way, Jose! The Yellow-Throated Marten has a couple of scent glands located on their behind, which are capable of producing an incredibly strong smelling liquid. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be on the wrong end of this liquid.
What does the Yellow-Throated Marten eat?
Considering how large and fearless this marten species is, you may be wondering what in the world they feed on. Well, pretty much whatever they feel like. They have a long list of prey items which includes rats, snakes, lizards, pheasants, eggs and the list goes on. This seems pretty normal, right? It is until you look at a few of the snacks I purposely left off the list which include Muntjac fawns, musk deer, wapiti, wild boar piglets and believe it or not Panda cubs. I feel like everyone reading this has instantly disliked the Yellow-Throated Marten the second I mentioned that they will feed on Panda Bear cubs.
Sure, the Yellow-Throated Marten may seem like a mean, ol’ animal but you have to give them props for being fearless and crafty. Why are they crafty? Well, during the winter months, a group of marten will take down a deer by chasing it onto the ice. As you can imagine a hoofed animal doesn’t exactly have an advantage on a slippery surface. See, I told you they were pretty crafty!
