Japanese marten
Amazing fact
Japanese martens have been seen leaping from the ground into a tree.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Japanese martens have been seen leaping from the ground into a tree.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese marten
- Scientific name
- Martes melampus
- Japanese name
- テン
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Martes
This page covers the Japanese marten as a species; those on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu are classified as the subspecies Hondo-ten.
A member of the weasel family, it lives on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan.
Its coat color changes a lot with the seasons: in summer its face is black and its body brown, and in winter its face is white and its body yellow.
In the forest it catches small animals and also seems to eat a lot of fruit; it is thought to help spread seeds in its droppings.
How the Japanese marten lives
They are active at night. Insects are important foods in summer and autumn. They use dens in trees and burrows in the ground. They mark the edges of their home ranges with the scent of their droppings.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: about 45 cm井の頭自然文化園
- Weight
- 1.1–1.5 kg井の頭自然文化園
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Small animals such as earthworms and fruit井の頭自然文化園
- Range
- Japan: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu井の頭自然文化園
Where the Japanese marten has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- テン
- 简体中文
- 日本貂
- 繁體中文
- 日本貂
- 한국어
- 일본담비
- Español
- Marta japonesa
- Français
- Marte à pieds noirs
- Deutsch
- Japanischer Marder
- Português (Brasil)
- Marta-Japonesa
- Italiano
- Martora giapponese
- العربية
- خز ياباني
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Amunin Jepang
- Русский
- Японский соболь
- Türkçe
- Japon sansarı
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — テン（ホンドテン）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Martes melampusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Japanese marten, look for this
- Look for the white to cream-coloured patch on the neck.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Japanese marten
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Mustelidae
MORE TO MEET
