# Beech marten (*Martes foina*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/beech-marten  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The beech marten (Martes foina), also called the Stone marten, House marten or White-breasted marten, is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 1.54 kg, up to 1.7 kg. Gestation lasts 30 days, litters average 3.78 young, and sexual maturity comes at 1.7 years, with reported values from 1.5 to 2 years. Its lifespan is given as 18.09 years, up to 18.2 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.54 kg – 1.7 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 18.1 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 18.2 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 30 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.78 |
| Age at maturity | 18 months – 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Martes
- species: *Martes foina* (Erxleben, 1777)

Synonyms: *Martes domestica*, *Martes foina altaica*, *Martes foina bosniaca*, *Martes foina bunites*, *Martes foina foina*, *Martes foina intermedia*, *Martes foina kozlovi*, *Martes foina mediterranea*, *Martes foina milleri*, *Martes foina nehringi*, *Martes foina rosanowi*, *Martes foina syriaca*, *Martes foina toufoeus*, *Martes leucolachnaea*, *Martes rosanowi*, *Mustela alba*, *Mustela bosniaca*, *Mustela domestica*, *Mustela foina*, *Mustela foina alba*, *Mustela foina bunites*, *Mustela foina nehringi*, *Mustela foina syriaca*, *Mustela intermedia*, *Mustela martes fagorum*, *Mustela mediterranea*, *Mustela mehringi*, *Mustela toufoeus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the beech marten?

The beech marten is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, nocturnal and terrestrial carnivore.

### How heavy is a beech marten?

An adult Beech marten weighs 1.54 kg, with values up to 1.7 kg reported.

### What does the beech marten eat?

The beech marten is a carnivore.

### Is the beech marten endangered?

No. The IUCN lists the beech marten as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a beech marten live?

The beech marten's lifespan is given as 18.09 years, with values up to 18.2 years reported.

### How many young does a beech marten have?

A beech marten has 3.78 young per litter on average, with 1 litter per year, after a gestation of 30 days.

### When does a beech marten reach sexual maturity?

The beech marten reaches sexual maturity at 1.7 years, with reported values from 1.5 to 2 years.

### Who named the beech marten?

The beech marten, Martes foina, was named by (Erxleben, 1777).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Beech marten (Martes foina). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/beech-marten