Ashley

** [|source 1] [|source 2]
 * American Marten
 * Common Name:** American Martin
 * Scientific Name:** Martes Americana
 * Natural Habitat:** Forest
 * Biotic Factors:** Trees, soil, plants, other animals, insects
 * Abiotic Factors:** Sun, water, temperature
 * Niche:** The american marten's diet is mainly mice, insects, nuts, and occasionally fruit. Males grow up to twenty inches long and females grow up to seventeen inches long. Their predators include fishers, coyote, lynx, mountain lions, eagles, great horned owls, and humans. American martins prey upon mice, rabbis, squirrels, birds, amphibians, insects, reptiles, and crayfish. Martins are fully mature after one year of life, that is how old they must be to reproduce. The martin's litter usually consists of one to four offspring. Martins can only have one litter each year. Martins are active usually during the night but sometimes in the day. They are mainly solitary animals with the exception of mating season.
 * Why is this animal endangered/threatened?** By definition endangered means to threaten with extinction. Humans hunting the martin is the main reason they are endangered, but so is deforestation.
 * Current population size:** about 300
 * Conservation Efforts:** i could not find any conservation efforts
 * How will the ecosystem be affected if the Marten goes extinct:** There will be an overpopulation of rodents, this may cause other predators of small rodents to populate the area which which would completely alter the ecosystem. Also it's predators would leave to find food elsewhere, which would also alter the ecosystem.
 * sources:**
 * [|picture source]**