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The marten belongs to the weasel family (Mustelidae), which also includes animals such as ermines, mink, ferrets, and wolverines. Marten are found in Canada and in parts of the United States and in the Eastern Hemisphere from Europe to the Malay region.
In a good berry season, these latter can form 30% of the marten's food and give a telltale blue colour to the animal's scat. Some food is stored in the summer and autumn for retrieval in the winter. As a mainly nocturnal animal, the pine marten forages at night or dusk, and can roam more than 10 kilometres from its den in search of food.