Fisher

The fisher, Pekania pennanti, is a carnivorous forest mammal of North America whose range covers much of the boreal forest from Canada to the northern United States. It is a member of the weasel family and the only living member of the genus Pekania. Despite the nickname fisher cat it is not a feline, and despite its name it rarely eats fish. It is larger than the American marten, and males can be up to twice the size of females. An omnivore, it feeds on a wide variety of small animals and occasionally on fruit and mushrooms, prefers the snowshoe hare, and is one of the few animals able to prey successfully on porcupines. Fishers are generally crepuscular. Trapping for fur since the 18th century and loss of forest habitat made them locally extinct in several parts of the United States early in the twentieth century, and protection has let the species rebound although its range is still smaller than it once was.