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What’s in a name? In the case of the Fisher Cat, Pekania pennanti, a low-slung, cat-sized fur-bearing omnivore found throughout the dense pine forests of Northern New York, apparently not much.
The Fisher Cat is not a cat, but rather a member of the weasel family, and they do not fish, although there are records of them eating dead fish found on the side of ponds or lakes.
How did they come by the name, then?
‘Fisher’ is thought to be derived from early European settlers likening the animal to the European polecat, called a ‘fitche’. As for ‘cat’, the fisher is about the size of a large domestic cat, with a dark brown to black, close-cropped glossy fur coat and a long bushy tail. It will hold its tail upright when it runs, perhaps making it resemble a cat to some. Although they don’t climb trees often, they can climb quite well, using their sharp, retractable claws, which are also similar to a cat’s.
Description/Diet/Behavior
The male and female fisher have comparable appearances and overall coloration, but the male is much larger, varying from 35 to 47 inches in length and ranging between eight and thirteen pounds. The female is generally between 30 and 37 inches in length and weighs from four to six pounds. Their dense, soft fur make them very popular and profitable targets for trappers. Their coats vary in color from dark chocolate brown to a deep black in winter, lightening considerably in the summer, making winter the prime season for trapping. The thickness of the fur coat also varies with the season, with the winter coat being the densest, and therefore most sought after.
The attractiveness and value of fisher pelts for the fur trade contributed to a decline in the fisher’s range and numbers, which, together with the felling of pine forests for farming and then the subsequent expansion of housing, sped the fisher’s decline. However, thanks to a gradual shift of human populations from rural farmland to cities and suburbs in the late 1800s into the 1900s, second and third growth forests began to fill in once-tilled farmland, maturing over the years. Together with the imposition of carefully monitored trapping seasons and limits, the fisher has now reoccupied its original range and numbers continue to grow.
Although the fisher is an omnivore, it is primarily a carnivore, and a very effective hunter. Being a solitary animal, it is limited as to the size of its prey, targeting smaller mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, snowshoe hares and birds. While willing to dine on carrion, such as deer carcasses, and also fruits, berries, mushrooms and other plants, it is ultimately a proficient predator. In fact, it is one of the very few animals that will target the porcupine, whose long, ominous needle-like quills are generally enough to ward off even the most ferocious would be attackers.
Stories are told that the fisher attacks and kills porcupines by first flipping them onto their backs to reach their soft, quill-less bellies, but that seems to rarely be the case; rather, the fisher repeatedly attacks the unprotected face of the porcupine, biting it over and over, until it is simply too injured to continue to resist. There are also documented cases of the fisher attacking both bobcat and lynx but given the size disparity (bobcat and lynx being larger), that it not common. In fact, the bobcat and lynx are among the animals that will prey upon the fisher. Like the bobcat and lynx, the fisher is crepuscular – it is most active and hunts its prey during twilight and dawn.
While pet owners are right to be concerned about predation by fishers on their pets, particularly cats, the actual occurrence of this is rare. Chickens on the other hand are a preferred food for fishers, and chicken coops need to be carefully guarded if fishers are known to be in the area.
The fisher prefers older pine forests, where it can find denning areas more readily, using hollowed out sections in stumps, fallen logs and tree trunks. It is a very capable climber, with hind paws that are able to turn almost 180 degrees. This unusual feature enables the fisher to climb down a tree headfirst – one of the few large mammals that can. It has five toes on each foot, all with an unsheathed retractable claw, and each paw has large pads with hairs between them, giving them traction on slippery surfaces and the ability to walk easily on snowpack.
Life History
Mating occurs in March or April, and the males and females go their separate ways immediately after. In a very unusual process, the newly created fertilized egg, called a blastocyst, is not implanted into the pregnant fisher’s womb until almost ten months later in February of the following year. It is this uncommon and long reproductive cycle that made it difficult to farm fishers for their fur as is done with mink and ermine, other members of the weasel family.
Gestation begins when the blastocyst is implanted, and lasts about fifty days, after which litters of between one and five (and rarely six) baby fishers, called kits, are born. The female fisher uses hollowed out trees or other protected areas for their dens, and the kits are born completely defenseless, with their eyes and ears sealed shut. They nurse for up to ten weeks, after which they switch to solid food. At this point they begin to grow restless, and the mother will push them out of the den after five months. By the end of a year, they disperse, establishing their own territories in which they lead their solitary lives. In the summer, when food is more plentiful, the territories tend to be smaller, about three square miles, and in the winter, they expand to about five. The territories of males and females tend to overlap, encouraging the meeting of the two sexes during mating season.
The fisher lives about seven to ten years in the wild. While interesting and unusual to see, they will readily attack poultry and there is some evidence that they will occasionally target small pets. Backyard birdfeeders, while attracting birds, squirrels and chipmunks, also attract fishers, looking to dine on those visitors, particularly the squirrels. Leaving cat or dogfood outside may attract them as well. For those fortunate enough to live near or next to New York State’s old growth pine forests, spotting the ‘fisher cat’ may be an increasingly common occurrence, but be cautious, as the fisher is neither a cat nor a fish eater, but is a beautiful, stealthy predator.
Interesting facts
- In some areas the fisher is called a ‘pekan’ which is its Algonquin name.
- The fisher is only found in North America and considered to be ‘of least concern’ by the IUCN, with an estimated 100,000 individuals living across its range.
- The fisher prefers to live in old growth forest with a dense canopy; it will not occupy forests with less than 50% canopy cover
Photo at top courtesy of Lake Placid Land Conservancy. Above: DEC photo.
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I stumbled across 2 very young fishers this year on one of my hiking photo excursions (or maybe they stumbled across me!). I had no idea they were called “kits”. Thx for the info! ?
Pics please
My reply went to bottom of comments. Oops
Great, informative article. Wonder why the weird reproduction process? Any other mammals do the same?
Seems I’ve seen more fishers over the years.
The second largest member of the weasel family? Aren’t badgers and wolverines members of that family?
Excellent article, but I believe the largest weasel is the Wolverine.
Sea Otter?
I witnessed a fisher killing a red fox, the fox was wrapped up from behind and the fisher just chewed through the neck till it was dead. I felt bad for the fox, but I’m sure that critter had some of his own not so friendly dinner parties. Nature is indeed very cruel, but so amazingly beautiful.
they will of course eat chickens,but 99% dont come in contact with chickens,
a bobcat might get a young fisher but that is it. males can get to 18 to 20 pounds.
there is now alot of fisher in parts of central and western ny. where there were few fishers before. also alot os fisher in the st law. river valley. in the fall they will eat alot of beachnuts,berries and apples when there good amounts of them. they are spread out alot more than this article says. big males dont climb as much in trees as females. big males attack the porcupines.no one i know calls them fisher cats. lol
I was lucky to see my first one recently in Jay NY. It was absolutely stunning. I know from research it was WAAAY larger than average. I thought it was a bear at first. Truly a spiritual experience.
their thick fur often makes then look much heavier and bulky than their true size under the fur. think on skinny person in a big furry coat.
Great information—except about fishers being the second-largest member of the weasel family. The second-largest in the Adirondacks, perhaps, but wolverines are significantly larger, and also likely badgers.
I took out the fact about size….also received this email from a reader:
I am an ecologist at SUNY ESF’s Adirondack Ecological Center. I’m writing to commend your publication of interesting and factual natural history articles on Adirondack wildlife and related topics.
However, the current scientific name for the fisher is Pekania pennanti. The old name that should be replaced appears here:
https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2020/11/the-fisher-cat-doesnt-fish-isnt-a-cat.html
Fishers were moved out of the Martes genus several years ago, though older references still show the former name. Here are two authorities for US species:
American Society of Mammalogists http://www.mammalogy.org/fisher
and the federal ITIS website https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1086061#null
Thanks for correcting the record.
Nice article, but full of “mis-information” and disappointing in that respect, particularly since too many people reading it will presume all the information is correct.
#1- Fisher are definitely not the “second” largest member of the weasel Family and
that spot goes to the wolverine, which is second only to the “River Otter”
in “North America”….and the “Sea Otter” along the upper west coast is
significantly larger than the “River Otter”
#2- Their claws are only “partially” retractable, unlike a cat which has fully
retractable claws
#3- Yes Bobcats/Lynx prey upon “some” smaller fisher, but “turn about/fair
play”,..fisher are one of the primary predators of young bobcats/lynx left
unguarded because the mother/female must leave them to hunt for food.
#4- “Don’t climb trees often”….seriously!??….they climb trees “frequently” and
particularly the females, which are more agile, etc. They will wipe out nests of
squirrels with regularity. I’ve personally witnessed a fisher literally “run” straight
up the side of about a 100′ white pine and it had no clue I was in the
area/watching. A female fisher can overtake a “marten” in the trees and they
do prey upon marten, as well, whenever they can!
#5- As for weights…a heavy female would be abt. 8#, while males have been
recorded up to 20#
I’m a trapper and have studied fisher and many other furbearers in that mode and/or as an outdoors naturalist who has observed wildlife more than 70 years. Fisher are indeed fascinating and incredibly capable predators, but let’s get our facts straight…..thank you
AHAHAHA, glad to see a good response, i was noticing the descrepancies also
You forgot to mention the fischer’s very peculiar cry …
Fur prices are way down on fisher in recent years. I can recall getting well over $100 for high grade females back in the day! Now some well known trappers, including “the Legend ” Johnny Thorpe, VE ” wildcat” Lynch and Oscar Cronk have told me Fisher will prey on newborn Whitetail fawns. I haven’t witnessed this but on 2 separate occasions I have found newborns dead and Fisher tracks at the partially eaten carcass. Now weather they were stillborn, or taken by another predator I dont know? I’ve certainly caught some big enough to accomplish this deed!
I have a cam in my yard and have had a fisher a few times, one of my favorite animals. The most unusual video of a fisher was a raccoon chasing the fisher, it was incredible the speed of the happening.
cool! do you have the video file you could share with us? 🙂
I took awhile to find it and put it on YouTube will try to post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6aaDK6yIKw
Wow, that’s awesome! I will share it on Facebook too.
Sure
Also have a grey fox climbing the maple tree in front yard and an apple tree. They go up about8-10 feet.? not sure I can find them. Have a lot of fox etc.
No way. I used to get a lot of foxes in my yard back when I kept chickens. Never saw them climbing though 😉
Here is the fox climbing tree, have better pic somewhere.
cid:04F39AD6-F267-46CF-929F-B6C658D7C077
Try this from FB
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1130733197007283&set=a.729105197170087&__cft__%5B0%5D=AZV_DDAWoo8EYI3Qmsv2Rqa3O-hCD8QvqTo3vAcN-zzWWBTLyuidLqX-PJ6bipraAAJNtp45GRqR4VrZ5l-qnZ7ho0wcdPAnyexQDq0VDWNVnmxbHDyI1F2Hx6MT-aQCenvXDI75FTzS3NL4VTJFbkkP&__tn__=EHH-R
Years ago, on a hike up the north side of Giant Mountain near Keene Valley, my dog and i scared off a covey of grouse. The machine gun-like whirring of their wings was startling, but nothing compared to what came next: a snarling, bristling fisher coming toward us out of the underbrush, with the unmistakable gait of a predator about to charge. I took the message and made my fastest-ever bushwhack in the opposite direction, probably farther than necessary. My guess was that the fisher had been stalking the grouse and saw us as competition or as the bumbling and annoying saviors of its quarry.
While now living in South Carolina the well written articles on Adirondack issues are devoured. They bring thoughts of backpack trips, canoeing, fishing and Fall leaf trips. I am also a trapper and articles on trapping subjects are especially enjoyed. It is impossible to know too much about the environment. There were no moose when I was walking those woods – perhaps a trip to seek one out is in order. Thanks for opening his door again.
only grey fox climb trees. red fox can not climb trees. mature male fisher will kill
raccoon if small on occasion.
The one we have climbing trees is a grey and I really thought nothing would really chase a fisher until we got the video.
The fisher must have been having a bad day. It may have been after fox kits or carcass, which would engender an atypical response for a fox, that would typically run away.
It was a raccoon that chased the fisher.
Sorry – I got the anecdotes in the comments confused. I guess my response would be the same with a coon chasing a fisher. Sometimes the best defense is a strong offense.
If only!! I was in the middle of setting up my tripod in the middle of a narrow brook when out of the corner of my eye about 8 ft. away, the 2 “kits” shot out from in between a rock and log! They ran around me in a circle before I could grab my gear, so I just watched them scurry away. They were adorable, about 12-14 inches long with what appeared to be very soft, dark brown coats!
adkresdent are you sure they werent mink?
Well gabe susice, I certainly could be mistaken! They could have been mink. From pictures I’ve seen, my first thought was very young fishers. If only my camera was set up….
well adkresident no need to be snotty. where you said you saw them in my
oinion they were young mink. that area you desribe is EXACTLY were female mink have there litter. as i have only handled in excess of 400 mink and 100 fisher in my live. but i guess you dont want to here from some one with experance.
Snotty? Howso? What did I say that was snotty?
You weren’t snotty at all ADK. Gabe’s got an issue, evidently.
And don’t forget, he’s handled more than 400 mink and 100 fishers, and even though he wasn’t there to see them, he knows what they were. Now THAT, was snotty.
I agree the sighting sounds more like mink – they are a very common sighting when stream fishing. But I fail to see any snotty exchange.
Sheesh Gabe – lighten up! We are talking about weasels here – and not even the ones we vote for. There is enough violence in the world already.
Maybe the Dingo got the baby??
Damn those things…
The Dingos, that is.
So why r they really trapping and killing them?
Dear Bill, Fisher do eat fish, when the June suckers are running in Squaw Lake, the fisher are there catching and eating these little suckers along with mink, bear, ravens and great blue heron. When your out there in the wild a meal is a meal. Forest Ranger retired Moose River Area.
Great read on this Fisher Cat. Thank you for the article, we had one come to our area today in Middletown, NY. It was great to see, I thought maybe a rock badger, yet your article and picture’s help us identify a Fisher Cat.
I believe I saw a fisher in our backyard last spring. We have many large pine trees in our rural/suburban neighborhood just south of Saratoga Springs, with occasional patches of dense forest. I think it was inspecting a burrow another animal had made in the yard. It loped into a nearby wooded area and disappeared. Haven’t seen it since. — Tom Williams, Malta, NY
Very informative article. Thanks!
So the benefit of having saved them from extinction is what? I live in a rural area, in the woods…believe me when i say their is NO sound as terrifying as when a fisher is on the hunt and succeeds in capturing a prey…the sound is gawd awful and terrifying…sounds as if a woman is being murdered alive , limbs just being torn from her body with the screams and accompanying sounds. I for one would never miss hearing that sound again….
We have a Fisher cat hanging around our house in the early evening or later at night that has scared the crap out of me with it’s snarl. Today I saw him in the yard again and got a good look at him. He’s grey in color, bushy tail like a fox, short ears, short legs, a shorter snout, and this one had a wide, black stripe that ran from the base of his neck, down his back to the tip of the tail. I looked for a picture of one similar to this with no luck. Is this an unusual color marking for a Fisher cat? It’s about three to four feet long.