The content of the article
Sable is a small mammal carnivorous animal belonging to the family mustelids. The closest relative of the sable is a pine marten. This cute animal is characterized by a slender body, short limbs, a fluffy tail and sharp claws.
Operation history
Sable is the national pride of Russia. Since ancient times, sables have been valued for their soft, thick, dark fur, which remains a luxury item to this day. In the fur industry of Russia, sable fur occupies one of the main places. Despite the fact that hunting for animals is still common in Russia, most furs on the market are sold commercially.
Sable fur has been highly regarded in the fur trade since the early Middle Ages. The intensification of hunting in Russia in the XIX - early XX centuries led to a rather sharp decrease in its number, therefore, in 1935 a five-year ban was introduced on hunting this valuable animal, and only winter hunting was allowed later. This ban and the formation of sable farms allowed these species to replenish most of their former habitat and achieve healthy quantities by 1990. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, hunting and poaching increased in the 1990s, partly because Russian furs produced in the wild are considered the most luxurious and very valuable on the international market.
Due to the high cost, sable fur is usually integrated into various styles of clothing, for example, to decorate collars, hem, sleeves and hats. The so-called sable brushes used for watercolor or oil painting are not made from sable hair, but from Siberian weasel hair.
Sable description
This is a medium sized animal. Males weighing 880-1800 g, have a body length of 36-57 cm and a tail measuring 8-11 cm. Females are slightly smaller in size than males. Their body length is 34-52 cm, and the length of their tail is 7.3-11 cm. With an elongated body, the sable has short legs, so its back is constantly arched. He has a triangular-shaped head, which is quite large compared to the body. Its long triangular ears have a wide base, and frame a slightly pointed muzzle.
Fluffy and very thick sable fur is truly its real wealth. In the cold season, the fur becomes still fluffy, and covers itself with paw pads. His paws are quite wide, which allows him to lead a land-based lifestyle.
In the summer, the sable is dark brown in color. At the same time, its paws and tail are much darker. In winter, sable fur is slightly lighter, its body color becomes sand or brown. The head is even lighter than the body, in the neck you can often see a bright, indefinite shape, which is not in the summer.
Habitat
Sable is most often found in the forests of Siberia, Eurasia, and some areas of the Far East. The furry animal currently lives in Mongolia and Korea. In Russia, the spread of sable, to a greater extent, is the result of large reintroductions involving 19,000 animals during the period that lasted from 1940 to the end of 1965. Their range in the north reaches the tree growth limit in the mountainous regions of East Asia to 42 latitudes.The western distribution of sable covers all the Ural Mountains. On Sakhalin, these fluffy animals can also be found.
In Mongolia, these animals live in the mountains of Altai, as well as in the forests around Lake Khovsgol, adjacent to the Trans-Baikal forest region, from which the most valuable sable skins are extracted. In China, they are found in Xinjiang Uygursk. In northeast China, sable habitation is limited to the Dushinginglin Mountains. In eastern Heilongjiang, sable conservation is observed in the Xiaoxinganling mountains. Individuals also live on the Korean peninsula.
Since the appearance of the sable in different geographical areas is different, there has been some controversy over the exact number of their subspecies that can be clearly identified. Seventeen different subspecies of sables are recognized, but in some scientific sources recently, from eight to thirty species can be found.
Habitat
These animals live in dense forests, where pine, fir, aspen, cedar prevail, both in mountainous and flat areas. They guard native territories, which extend from 4 to 28 km, depending on food and terrain. However, when there is not enough food, they can travel for food over vast distances, while the speed of movement is from 5 to 13 km per day.
Their favorite habitat is taiga thickets. Damp, dark coniferous forests are sable's favorite habitats. This animal is attracted to inaccessible places, with a large number of branches. It seems that the instinct of self-preservation of this animal, trying in this way to defend itself from enemies, is to blame.
Sables also live in burrows in the densest parts of the forest and along the banks of rivers. Their burrows usually become safer if they are dug among the numerous roots of trees. They move perfectly through trees and rocky terrain.
Lifestyle
These are twilight animals that love to hunt at dusk. They become much more active during the mating season during the day. Sable burrows are perfectly hidden from strangers. They are lined with grass and wool, but are often temporary housing, especially in winter, when the sable has to travel in search of food.
They hunt mainly through their sense of smell and keen hearing. The animal’s vision is slightly weaker than hearing and smell, but this doesn’t really harm the night hunting of the animal. In various situations, these small animals make different interesting sounds. Basically it is a quiet rumbling, gentle, reminiscent of cat meow in the mating season, as well as a loud crack in a period of danger. Sables mark their territory with the aroma produced in the glands on the stomach. Sable is threatened by a number of larger predators: bears, lynxes, wolves and tigers.
In nature, sable is valued for controlling the number of small mouse-like rodents.
Nutrition
Sables are omnivorous, and their diet changes seasonally. In summer, they can feed on hares, mice, or other small mammals. In the cold season, when their diet limits frost and snow, they eat wild berries, mice, hares and even small musk deer. Sometimes, they follow the tracks of bears or wolves to feed on the remains of their prey.
They hunt small birds, affection and ermine. They also feed on mollusks, which they rub on the ground to remove mucus. With their front legs, they can catch fish, which they then eat. Sable can also eat various plant foods. Various fruits, berries and nuts are a favorite treat of sable. He easily finds in winter, under a thick layer of snow, the remaining berries from autumn.
Breeding sables
Usually mating sables occurs in the summer from June 15 to August 16. The date depends on the habitat. Males dig meter-deep shallow grooves in the snow, often accompanying them with urination. During courtship, sables jump, run and “rumble” like cats.They brutally fight each other for the favor of females. Fights for leadership are a fairly common occurrence for these beautiful animals.
Females fall into estrus in the spring. Mating sometimes lasts up to 8 hours. The blastocyst after insemination of the female does not immediately implant into the uterine wall. Only after 8 months does implantation begin; fetal development takes only a month, although pregnancy lasts up to 297 days,
Babies are born in the hollows of large trees, in which sables make nests consisting of dried grass and fallen leaves. A female can give birth to 1 to 7 babies, although the birth of 2 or 3 cubs is most common. Males help females at this time. They provide them with food and very carefully protect their territory.
Sables can sometimes interbreed with pine martens. This can be observed in the forests of the Ural Mountains, where these 2 species intersect, this is sometimes intentionally done on fur farms. The resulting hybrid, called kidus, is slightly smaller than pure sable. His fur is much coarser, but otherwise he has a similar color and fluffy long tail. Kiduses are usually sterile. Although one case was recorded when a female kidus successfully bred with a male pine marten.
Sable can be easily tamed. By his behavior, he resembles a domestic cat. The animal can quickly get used to the person. Today sables are bred on farms. In such artificial conditions, even a very rare kind of black sable is bred. The value of sable fur is determined by its color and softness. The most expensive is the fur of a dark color.
Video: sable (Martes zibellina)
Submit