We examined the mass, foot area and foot load (mass/surface area) of Fishers (Carnivora: Mustelidae: Martes pennanti) captured during the 2006-2007 commercial fur season in southern Quebec, Canada. Body mass of males (mean = 4.7 kg ± 0.5, n = 37) was significantly larger than that of females (mean = 2.4 kg ± 0.2, n = 40). Similarly, the size of male feet (mean area = 130.5 cm2 ± 10.9, n = 37) was significantly larger than that of females (mean = 95.2 cm2 ± 7.6 SE, n = 40). The resulting footload of males (36.2 g/cm2 ± 6.1, n = 37) was 43% larger than that of females (25.3 g/cm2 ± 2.3, n = 40). These results may help explain the differential behaviour and niche partitioning in this mustelid carnivore

Larivière, Serge

Lavoie, Maxime

Renard, Aurelie

English

The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)

2008 NOTES 269Environmental conditions greatly affect the ecologyof northern animals. In snowy environments, energeticchallenges are imposed by additional locomotorycosts associated with travel in snow (Crête and Lariv-ière 2003). To overcome these costs, northern animalsadapt either through behaviour or morphology. Behav-ioral adaptations include traveling on hard surfaces(Mur ray and Boutin 1991), use of snow-free areas(Sweeney and Sweeney 1984), use of tracks or trails ofother animals or humans (Murray et al. 1995; Bunnellet al. 2006), reduced movements (Nellemann 1996), orbroadening of diet to reduce travel needs further (Du -mont et al. 2005). In contrast, morphological adapta-tions include longer limbs (Telfer and Kelsall 1984),reduced mass (Hodges et al. 2006), larger feet (Murrayand Larivière 2002), or reduced footloading, defined asthe mass per foot area ratio (Murray and Larivière2002). The Fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium-sizedmustelid that occurs throughout the forests of NorthAmerica. Fishers are sexually dimorphic, with malesalmost twice the size of females (Powell 1993). Duringwinter, diet of males and females differs as the small-er females are more active hunters whereas males tendto rely more intensively on scavenging ungulate car-casses (Giuliano et al. 1989). Possibly, a linkage existsbetween behavioural ecology and morphology, espe-cially in northern environments where deep snow in -creases locomotory costs (Crête and Larivière 2003).Thus, we used footload of Fishers at the northern lim-it of their range to help understand this linkage.We collected Fishers that were captured during com -mercial fur trapping activities. Mass and sex were re -corded before pelt removal. Collected carcasses weretagged and frozen until processing. Once thawed, thefour unskinned paws were removed and their outlinewas traced to obtain a measure of foot area. A pencilwas pressed against the periphery of the digital bonesas it circled the paw, thereby compressing fur and toe(Murray and Larivière 2002). The resulting prints werephotographed and their area was calculated with Pho-to shop software (Adobe Systems Incorporated). Thepixels of each foot surface area were converted to cm2using a known surface. Statistical comparisons betweenmales and females were tested with a Mann-WhitneyU-test.The majority of the Fishers collected (92.0%, n = 77)were captured between 16 November and 31 Decem -ber. The body mass of males (x– = 4.7 kg ± 0.5, n = 37)was significantly larger (U < 0.001, P < 0.001, n = 37)than that of females (x– = 2.4 kg ± 0.2, n = 40). Similar-ly, the foot area of males (x– = 130.5 cm2 ± 10.9, n = 37)was significantly larger (U = 9.00, P < 0.001, n = 77)than that of females (x– = 95.2 cm2 ± 7.6, n = 40). Theresulting footload was significantly larger (U = 13.00,P < 0.001, n = 77) for males (x– = 36.2 g/cm2 ± 6.1, n = 37)than females (x– = 25.3 g/cm2 ± 2.3, n = 40).Our study shows that although males have largerfeet than females, their mass remains proportionallygreater and this results in a higher footload. Interest-ingly, the footload of female Fisher (25.3 g/cm2) issimilar to that of the Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis,Differential Footload of Male and Female Fisher, Martes pennanti, inQuebecAURELIE RENARD1, MAXIME LAVOIE1 and SERGE LARIVIÈRE1, 21 Département de biologie, chimie et géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada 2 Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board, Édifice Champlain, bureau 1110, 2700 boulevard Laurier, Sainte Foy,Québec G1V 4K5 Canada Renard, Aurélie, Maxime Lavoie, and Serge Larivière. 2008. Differential footload of male and female Fisher (Martes pen-nanti) in Quebec. Canadian Field-Naturalist 122(3): 269-270.We examined the mass, foot area and foot oad (mass/surface area) of Fishers (Carnivora: Mustelidae: Martes pennanti) capturedduring the 2006-2007 commercial fur season in southern Quebec, Canada. Body mass of males (x– = 4.7 kg ± 0.5, n = 37)was significantly larger than that of females (x– = 2.4 kg ± 0.2, n = 40). Similarly, the size of male feet (x– area = 130.5 cm2 ± 10.9,n = 37) was significantly larger than that of females (x– = 95.2 cm2 ± 7.6 SE, n = 40). The resulting footload of males (36.2 g/cm2 ± 6.1, n = 37) was 43% larger than that of females (25.3 g/cm2 ± 2.3, n = 40). These results may help explainthe differential behaviour and niche partitioning in this mustelid carnivore. Key Words: Fisher, Martes pennanti, footload, foot size, snow, mass, niche, Quebec.13_07047_Egg_08014fisherNOTE.qxd:CFN 122(3)  1/14/10  10:06 PM  Page 26925.9 g/cm2; Murray and Boutin 1991), but much high-er than that of the American Marten (Martes americana,9.4 g/cm2; Krohn et al. 2003), a sister species with amuch more northern distribution. Footload of maleFishers, albeit high compared to females, nonethelessis lower than that of coexisting canids such as RedFox (Vulpes vulpes, 88.5 g/cm2) and Coyote (Canislatrans, 170.3 g/cm2; Murray and Larivière 2002) buthigher than the footload of another scavenging muste -lid, the Wol verine (Gulo gulo, 22 g/cm2; Knorre 1959).These results may help explain the differential ecologyof male and female Fisher, especially in northern envi-ronments where deep snow is a constraint. However,further work should be conducted on male-female dif-ferences to better understand their behavioural ecology. AcknowledgmentsWe thank the Fédération des Trappeurs Gestion -naires du Québec for providing access to Fisher car -casses and the Gouvernement du Québec, Ministèredes Ressources naturelles, faune et des parcs for tech -nical support. Pierre-Yves Collin provided numerouscomments which improved this manuscript. SL thanksThe Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Boardfor logistic support and the Natural Sciences andEngineering Research Council of Canada for supportthrough a discovery grant.Literature CitedBunnell, K. D., J. T. Flinders, and M. L. Wolfe. 2006. Poten-tial impacts of coyotes and snowmobiles on lynx conser-vation in the intermountain west. Wildlife Society Bul-letin 34: 828–838.Crête, M., and S. Larivière. 2003. Estimating the costs oflocomotion in snow for coyotes. Canadian Journal of Zool-ogy 81: 1808–1814.Dumont, B., A. Boissy, C. Achard, A. M. Sibbald, and H.W. Erhard. 2005. Consistency of animal order in spon-taneous group movements allows the measurement of lead-ership in a group of grazing heifers. Applied Animal Behav-iour Science 95: 55–66.Giuliano, W. M., J. A. Litvaitis, and C. L. Stevens. 1989.Prey selection in relation to sexual dimorphism of fishers(Martes pennanti) in New Hampshire. Journal of Mam-malogy 70: 639–641.Hodges, K. E., R. Boonstra, and C. J. Krebs. 2006. Over-winter mass loss of snowshoe hares in the Yukon: starva-tion, stress, adaptation or artefact? Journal of Animal Ecol-ogy 75: 1–13.Knorre, E. P. 1959. Ecology of the elk. Pages 4–324 in Trans-actions of the Pechora-Ilych State Game Preserve. Editedby G. A. Novikov. Translated by the Canadian WildlifeService 1966. Krohn, W., C. Hoving, D. Harrison, D. Phillips, and H.Frost. 2003. Martes foot-load and snowfall patterns ineastern North America: implications to broad-scale dis-tributions and interactions of mesocarnivores. Pages 115-135 in Martens and fishers (Martes) in human-alteredenvironments: An international perspective. Edited by D.J. Harrison, A. K. Fuller, and G. Proulx. Springer, New-York. 279 pages.Murray, D. L., and S. Boutin. 1991. The influence of snowon lynx and coyote movements: does morphology affectbehavior? Oecologia 88: 463–469.Murray, D. L., and S. Larivière. 2002. The relationshipbetween foot size of wild canids and regional snow con-ditions: evidence for selection against a high footload?Journal of Zoology, London 256: 289–299.Murray, D. L., S. Boutin, M. O’Donoghue, and V. O.Nams. 1995. Hunting behaviour of sympatric felid andcanid in relation to vegetative cover. Animal Behaviour50: 1203–1210.Nellemann, C. 1996. Terrain selection by reindeer in latewinter. Arctic 49: 339–347.Powell, R. A. 1993. The fisher, life history, ecology and be -haviour, 2nd edition, University of Minnesota Press, Min-neapolis. 237 pages.Sweeney, J. M., and J. R. Sweeney. 1984. Snow depthsinfluencing winter movements of elk. Journal of Mam-malogy 65: 524–526.Telfer, E. S., and J. P. Kelsall. 1984. Adaptation of somelarge North American mammals for survival in snow.Ecology 65: 1828–1834.Received 31 March 2008Accepted 26 March 2009270 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 12213_07047_Egg_08014fisherNOTE.qxd:CFN 122(3)  1/14/10  10:06 PM  Page 270

Differential Footload of Male and Female Fisher, Martes pennanti, in Quebec

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Differential Footload of Male and Female Fisher, Martes pennanti, in Quebec

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