Why spotting a 'forest kitten' can be challenging but fascinating

Have you ever spotted a "forest kitten," theseldom-seen but adorable creature that hides in Alberta's forests?

Well, naturalist Brian Keating says he saw the small animal in February near Lake Louise prompting him to tellThe Homestretchwhat makes the animal so remarkable.

• Check out the above video of a pine marten carrying her babies with her mouth, taken by BrianKeatingthrough his production company, Great Big Nature.

First, despite the animal being referred to and looking like a forest kitten, it's actually called apine marten.

"The pine marten, orAmerican marten, is a member of the mustelidaefamily, which includes wolverines, weasels, mink, badgers and otters," he said.

Keating says it's rare to run into the animal, and ifyou do, it will disappear quickly into the forest and be difficult to spot again.

"But the one that we saw was really quite unconcerned about us. He knew we were there because he kept looking back at us several times," he said.

Keating and his wife were out cross-country skiing onPipestone Trail loop near Lake Louise that day when they noticed the small carnivore on the trail.

"I'm sure that he was using our packed cross-country ski trail as arunway for easy movement."

Some pine marten facts

Pine martens can handle some extreme weather conditions and are foundall the way north into Alaskaas well assouth into California.

Keating says the animals arelong and slender but have a body similar toa mink or ferret.

"The male is just under one and a half feet long with a tail about half as long," he said, adding the females are a bit smaller.

He says they have large black eyes, andears rounded like a cat's hence why they're called a "forest kitten."

The critter also has sharp, curved, semi-retractable claws, which Keating says helps them climb up into the trees.

Despite their small stature,they can get pretty aggressive, he notes.

"They can take an animal down as big as a snowshoe hare and even a marmot," he said.

Pinemartens usually eat small rodents, like squirrels, but Keating says it'll takeanything it can get making them"opportunistic feeders."

"Birds and even fruit and nuts and insects. And if they find something dead, they'll feed on that," he said.

It will also take down prey that's either too big forthe common weasel to snack onor too small for wolverines to bother with.

"They fill that mid-sized hunting niche perfectly," he said.

"And with their thin body, they can go through the snow and under the snow and pursue some of the creatures in their own tunnels."

Pine martens require only about 80 calories a day whileat rest, which comes in handy during Alberta's cold snaps.

"They somehow managed to make a living in a landscape thatreally seems sparse of food resources," he said.

"They're able to take down a variety of prey, which allows them to survive in ridiculous conditions that can have very cold temperatures forfive months or more a year."

It's unlikely you'll see a group of the pine martens together, as the malescan can be pretty territorial.

"They'll defend a territory up to about eight square kilometres in size, depending upon the quality of the habitat," he said.

"Females will range around in a territory about one-thirdof that size."

And in terms of breeding, Keating says that doesn't happen until July or August.

"Apparently the female is sexually receptive for about 15 days but like bears, they have what's known as delayed implantation."

This means that once the egg is fertilized, it will sitin suspended animation and the pine marten won't give birth until the following March or April.

"So basically, they're all ready to start to allow that baby to form. But theysomehow have figured out a way to put it into a state of suspended animation until the right time comes."

If you're ever lucky enoughcome across a mamapine marten with her babies,it's a fascinating scene, Keating says.

"One spring, I was camping in a random forest in the Rocky Mountains with my wife. I was brushing my teeth when a pine marten appeared with a baby in her jaw," he said.

"She moved three youngsters from one den location to the other, and I was able to sit quietly in the forest and watch this whole sequence of events."

• LISTEN BELOW| Brian Keating talkstoThe Homestretch about some other pine marten facts:

For more fascinating stories about Alberta's wildlife from naturalist Brian Keating, visit hiswebsiteand check out these stories:

With files fromThe Homestretch.