The Vermont Institute of Natural Science caught a fisher on camera on its Farrar Trail in the central part of the state on March 15. This also allows them to maneuver well in trees.The animal is also known simply as the fisher, a name it got because it resembled the European polecat, which was sometimes called the fichet or fitche, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. They have highly mobile ankle joints that can rotate their hind paws almost 180°. Fishers are one of the relatively few mammalian species with the ability to climb down trees head-first.Observational studies show that fishers make repeated biting attacks on the face of a porcupine, thus killing it after about 25-30 minutes. This, however, was identified as an exaggerated misconception as early as 1966. Stories in popular literature indicate that fishers can flip a porcupine onto its back and 'scoop out its belly like a ripe melon'. Fishers are one of the few animals able to prey successfully on porcupines.Despite their common name, fishers rarely eat fish.They are closely related to the American marten. Fishers are members of the weasel family.These animals are also sometimes misleadingly referred to as fisher cats, although they are not cats. These are names derived from aboriginal languages. Fishers are also called pekan, pequam, wejack, and woolang.Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.ĭue to their diet habits, fishers are essential predators in their ecosystems and help control populations of the prey species. The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the fisher total population size. In some areas, fishers can become pests to farmers when they raid chicken coops. While fishers usually avoid human contact, encroachments into forest habitats have resulted in some conflicts as well.

When pelt prices fell in the late 1940s, most fisher farming ended. However, their unusually delayed reproduction made breeding difficult. In the 1920s, when pelt prices were high, some fur farmers attempted to raise fishers. Their pelts were in such demand that they were extirpated from several parts of the United States in the early part of the 20th century. They have been popular with trappers due to the value of their fur, which has been used for scarves and neckpieces. Since these patches become enlarged during the breeding season, they are likely used to make a scent trail to allow fishers to find each other so they can mate.įishers have been trapped since the 18th century. They have a circular patch of hair on the central pad of their hind paws marks plantar glands that give off a distinctive odor. They communicate with each other with the help of scent marking. Fishers have very keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing. During the wintertime, these animals will use burrows under the snow with long and narrow tunnels. They usually shelter in hollow trees, logs, stumps, holes in the ground, rock crevices, and dens of other animals. They are able to travel many miles along ridges in search of prey. Fishers are competent tree climbers, but they spend most of their time on the forest floor. Females are least active during pregnancy and gradually increase activity after the birth of their kits. Males become more active during the mating season. They are solitary and associate with other fishers only for mating. Fishers are generally crepuscular animals that are most active at dawn and dusk.

Porcupine predators fisher image