Yellow-throated marten larger than other Old World martens; males measure in body length, while females measure . Males weigh , while females weigh . The anal glands sport two unusual protuberances, which can be used to secrete a strong smelling liquid for defensive purposes. The yellow-throated marten has relatively short fur which lacks the fluffiness of the pine marten, sable and beech marten. The winter fur differs from that of other martens by its relative shortness, its harshness and its luster. It is also not as dense, fluffy and compact as that of other martens. The hairs on the tail are short
5026 Martes well-defined rotation period of 4.4243 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.69 magnitude (). According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, "Martes" measures 8.967 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.066, which is typical for carbonaceous asteroids. The "Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link", however, assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and consequently calculates a much smaller diameter of 4.93 kilometers, due to the higher albedo. This minor planet was named for the two species of the family Mustelidae, the pine marten and beech marten.