Humboldt marten

The Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis, formerly Martes americana humboldtensis) is an endangered, genetically distinct subspecies of the Pacific marten known only from the old-growth coastal redwood forests of the U.S. states of California and Oregon. Less than 300 of them survive in both states combined, in three different populations of 100 each; one in northern California, one straddling the California-Oregon border, and one in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The subspecies was in fact considered extinct until being rediscovered in the Six Rivers National Forest in 1996.[1] They are most threatened by a lack of population expansion and by human-caused mortalities, including trapping and road mortality.[2] While California has already banned all commercial trapping of martens, Oregon still permits it. In response, environmental organizations seek a ban on trapping west of Interstate 5.[1] However, in California itself the marten is threatened by the increasing number of marijuana farms destroying its habitat in the area.[3]

Humboldt marten
Individual on tree in Six Rivers National Forest

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Martes
Species:
M. americana
Subspecies:
M. a. humboltensis
Trinomial name
Martes americana humboltensis
( Grinnell and Dixon, 1926)

References
  1. "Coastal Trapping Ban Sought to Protect Oregon's Vanishing Humboldt Martens". www.biologicaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  2. Linnell, Mark A.; Moriarty, Katie; Green, David S.; Levi, Taal (2018-04-04). "Density and population viability of coastal marten: a rare and geographically isolated small carnivore". PeerJ. 6: e4530. doi:10.7717/peerj.4530. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5889706. PMID 29637018.
  3. Park, Madison. "Growing marijuana could make these furry creatures an endangered species". CNN. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
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