Stone Marten or Pine Marten?
We were discussing stone (or beech) martens with friends recently. One of their cats has feline aids, and they think he was infected during a fight with a stone marten. Apparently they are ferocious fighters and afraid of nothing, as well as being renowned carriers of the disease.
By one of those strange coincidences which life throws my way all the time, the very next day, while walking the dogs, I spotted this little beauty lying dead beside the road.
A stone marten? I’m not certain, but I think it’s more likely to be a pine marten. The white blob on the chest of stone martens splits and runs down their front legs, whereas this guy just had a single, unbroken blob.
He looks so peaceful. I wonder how he died. Poor little guy. He doesn’t look at all ferocious to me.
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and for sound effects, Provençal Nightlife
Didn’t know there was feline AIDS. Great photo to use as a tool for identification. We have pine martens here, but I’m not familiar with stone martens. Yup, ferocious little critters, but beautiful too.
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I didn’t realize cats could get a felines version of aids, and that birds were carriers. Yes, birds. You know, martin vs marten, all looks the same before your first cup of coffee! Coincidences make me wonder too…
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Gosh i hope i spelled it right!! Must check… cos I’m pretty sure most martins (the avian kind) would not take on a cat!
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You spelled it right, it was my bad (morning fog).
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