Fur trade Russia exported raw furs, consisting in most cases of the pelts of martens, beavers, wolves, foxes, squirrels and hares. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Russians began to settle in Siberia, a region rich in many mammal fur species, such as Arctic fox, lynx, sable, sea otter and stoat (ermine). In a search for the prized sea otter pelts, first used in China, and later for the northern fur seal, the Russian Empire expanded into North America, notably Alaska. From the 17th through the second half of the 19th century, Russia was the world's largest supplier of fur. The fur
American marten martes"). Specific predators vary by geographic region. In Newfoundland, red foxes ("Vulpes vulpes") were the most frequent predator, though coyote ("Canis latrans") and other American marten were also responsible for some deaths. In deciduous forests in northeastern British Columbia, most predation was attributed to raptors. Of 18 American marten killed by predators in northeastern Oregon, 8 were killed by bobcats ("Lynx rufus"), 4 by raptors, 4 by other American marten, and 2 by coyotes. Throughout the distribution of American marten, other predators include the great horned owl ("Bubo virginianus"), bald eagle ("Haliaeetus leucocephalus"), golden eagle ("Aquila chrysaetos"), Canada lynx ("L.