Japanese marten: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Japanese marten lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Martes melampus
Group	Weasels, otters, badgers & skunks
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Asia
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Mustelidae

Where does the Japanese marten live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Japanese marten in 1 country or territory across Asia. Wikidata gives its range as: Japan, Korean Peninsula.

Japan

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Japanese marten endangered?

The Japanese marten’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Japanese marten?

The Japanese marten (Martes melampus) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae, genus Martes. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Japanese marten

The Japanese marten (Martes melampus) is a marten species endemic to Japan. It is native to the forested regions of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Tsushima, Japan. It is agile, territorial, and is important in seed dispersal in northern Japan's shrublands. Its coat varies depending on the region from yellow to brown. It is least concerned in conservations status despite habitat loss from logging and forest fragmentation. Conservation efforts include legal protection and habitat restoration.

In Japanese folklore it is associated with shapeshifting and omens.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Japanese marten (revision 1380856577), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1052830 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).