unusual behavior

[chip hanson]

Got this healthy appearing Fisher on a trail cam last week.   Interesting behavior when he ?? reappears in the video.

Is this otter like normal ambulatory movement……or scent marking…..or self pleasuring …..or just fun.    It will make me analyze some tracks differently seeing that this might be a normal Fisher locomotion.

[Al Stoops]

Scent-marking makes the most sense to me, but I'd like to hear what Roger Powell has to say.

-Al

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[Roger Powell]

Dear Chip,

Definitely: scent marking.

Breeding season is starting now, so males, such as the one in the video, will be scent marking more.  The average date of parturition is around 1 April, maybe late March (about a 3-week spread).  Females 2 years old and older breed about 1 week after giving birth, so this is a very important time of the year for fishers.  One year old females breed for the first time now (giving birth a year from now).  Females will be looking for tree cavities for having their kits.  Fishers only give birth in tree cavities (or cavities in snags).  The entry holes must be too small for males to enter.  The whole system is really cool.

    peace , , , , , ,

        rog . . . . . . .

Roger A Powell
Department of Applied Ecology
North Carolina State University
PO Box 918, Ely, Minnesota 55731

tel. - 218-235-8808
https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/rpowell-2/

   Husk at leve
      mens du gør det.
   Husk at elske
      mens du tør det.
              Piet Hein