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The fisher looks like a thin overgrown weasel. The male measures 40 inches long and weighs no more than 20 pounds. The female has 35% less fat and is about 10% shorter than the male, which is covered in fur. The fur is blackish-brown and the fisher has a pale gray spot on its head and shoulders. It has a pale face and very dark feet. The fisher has a long body, short legs, a pointed face, rounded ears, and a bushy tail that weighs about 2 pounds. From November to March the fisher gets thick, soft fur. Therefore, trappers kill 50,000 to 130,000 of these animals per year. They use the fur for coats, hats, and muffs. The fisher is now protected by law. The fisher is a carnivorous animal. It eats rodents such as mice, rabbits, squirrels, and birds. The fisher is one of the fastest and most aggressive hunters in the North Country. Its name is deceptive because it does not specialize in catching fish, but it does kill deer, sheep, and caribou. It also eats porcupines and can escape from their sharp needles. The fisher also bites into the stomach of the porcupine, and eats what it wants, and then leaves it wherever it kills this animal. The fisher is also known as a black cat, pekan, or wood stock. It is in the Mustelidae family. |
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At the zoo, the fisher was drinking water. He was running and pacing. He lived in a very steep area with trees and rocks. The fisher was small and had dark brown fur. It had little legs and feet. He also had a bushy tail and tiny ears. |
The fisher lives mostly in Canada and the northern part of North America. It lives in the coniferous forest which has evergreen trees. It likes dark and wet wooded areas, places along swamps, lakes, rocks, and hollow trees. The fisher climbs trees and spends most of the day running or pacing. |
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Fishers breed during the same time of year. They breed in April and carry the babies for eleven months. The average number of babies is four. The babies can't see for the first seven weeks and stay in the nest for the first three months. The babies are not fully mature until two years old, but they mate after twelve months from the time they are born. Fishers are becoming endangered because of all the fur trade. Fishers get thick, soft fur during November to March because it helps them adapt to the cold weather. They also have sharp teeth so they can eat animals much bigger than themselves. They have claws to help them climb trees and to attack their food by turning it over. With the porcupine, the fishers bite right into its stomach and eat what they need from the porcupine. |
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The fisher is helped by the government. Laws are
being made to help the fishers so they don't become extinct. Fishers are
harmed because they are killed by the thousands (50,000 and 130,000)
every year by hunters. Laws control the
number of fishers that can be trapped. |
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Ellarson, Robert S. "Fisher." Encyclopedia America na.1993 ed. Grizmek, Bernhard H.C. Dr., Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia.1972 ed. |