Paul Oakes and his family spotted a pine marten while enjoying the slopes at SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Paul Oakes
January 04, 2024 - 6:00 AM
A tourist from Australia enjoying the slopes at SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon with his family spotted a unique looking little animal peering out from a tree earlier this week.
Paul Oakes was able to snap a photo of a pine marten before it disappeared, a species known for speed and agility.
“I kind of was cruising down the ridge and saw it out of the corner of my eye and by the time I got my board off he had scooted up a tree,” Oakes said. “I was able to get a few photos before it was gone.”
The pine marten, also known as the American marten, is found in forests across the country. The animals are long and slender with long tails and long, shiny fur and weigh roughly 800 grams.
Male martens are territorial when it comes to other males and both sexes spend a lot of time hunting small mammals, according to Nature Canada. The aggressive predators can kill snowshoe hares and marmots.
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Not knowing what the animal was, Oakes posted a photo of it on social media.
“Back home we have possums we see regularly, I wondered if this was a common thing, but many people said they’ve never seen one before,” he said. “I was like a little kid I was so excited and stoked to spot this.”
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