These Adorable, Feisty California Animals Are Near Extinction

CALIFORNIA -- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released a report agreeing that the Humboldt martens should be on the endangered species list. The report comes after conservation groups long lobbied to protect the furry, adorable but ferocious animals as fewer than 100 have been accounted for in California.

The Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that has led the effort to protect the cat-sized animals, said Humboldt martens were originally thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered in 1996.

"Now, due to extensive logging of coastal old-growth forests in Northern California and Oregon — the only places it's found — the marten has been eliminated from 95 percent of its historic range," the group said. "Other threats to the marten abound, including wildfires and loss of genetic diversity due to population separation and a tiny overall population size."

Now, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking up the recommendation to list the martens under the California Endangered Species Act.

In a report released last week, the Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote "Regarding the scientific determinations of the threats to the Humboldt marten, the Department finds that without protections afforded by CESA, the continued existence of the Humbolt marten is in serious danger or is threatened by the following listing factors individually or in combination, as described in the report: substantial reduction in the species' range attributed to historic trapping and habitat loss; historic and ongoing habitat loss and habitat fragmentation; predation; risks inherent to small populations; and potential threats from diseases, toxicants, wildfires, and climatic changes."

Humboldt martens are larger than long-tailed weasels, but smaller than mustelids. Their bushy tails make up about one-third of their overall body length, which ranges from 18 to 28 inches and one to three pounds, according to the state report.

They are often found in Northern California from Sonoma County all the way up to Oregon.

The California Fish and Game Commission will decide whether to list the Humboldt martens on the endangered species list on Aug. 23.

--Photo courtesy of Charlotte Eriksson/Oregon State University