Sable

The sable, Martes zibellina, is a small omnivorous mammal in the weasel family Mustelidae, first described by Linnaeus in 1758. It has fur ranging from light to dark brown, an elongated head with long ears, and is a skilled climber; males measure 38 to 56 centimeters in body length with 9 to 12 centimeter tails, while females are slightly smaller. The species inhabits forests across Russia from the Ural Mountains through Siberia and northern Mongolia, and its range also reaches eastern Kazakhstan, China, North Korea and Hokkaido in Japan. It hunts mainly by sound and scent as a crepuscular predator, mates between June and August, and typically produces litters of two or three; the IUCN lists it as Least Concern overall, though the isolated Japanese subspecies is considered data deficient.