Japanese Marten
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| Japanese Marten | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| ホンドテン | |||
| Character Data | |||
| Romaji | Hondoten
| ||
| Debut | Kemono Friends (2015 Game) | ||
| Animal Data | |||
| Scientific Name | Martes melampus
| ||
| Distribution | Japan
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| Diet | Omnivore
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| Avg. Lifespan | ?
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| Read More | Japanese marten
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| Conservation | 
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| Japanese Marten | Festival | Pavilion | KF3 | Nexon Game | Gallery |
The Japanese Marten is a type of mustelid Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game. Her redesign first appeared in Official Guidebooks Volume 2.
Appearance
Apart from her pair of black gloves and shoes, her outfit is entirely yellow and light yellow. She wears tights, a jacket with fluffy cuffs and a sailor-style collar. Padded inside her jacket, she wears a short dress with a tiny red ribbon. She has short hair with a white fringe cut above the eyebrows. Similarly to the animal, she bears tiny white ears and a long fluffy tail with a white tip. We can see her tiny fang on the left of her mouth.
The new Japanese Marten's design has fluffy boots, long fingerless gloves and short puffed sleeves. Her red ribbon is bigger and unlike the old design, is attached to her sailor collar. She wears a scarf-like tail around her neck. She has a black task right on the center of her white fringe. Her ears and eyes are more faithful to the animal she's based on. Her outfit and hair color are now orange. She gained an extra fang on the right.
Series Appearances
| Media | Role | |
|---|---|---|
In Real Life
The Japanese marten (Martes melampus) is a mammal in the marten genus most closely related to the sable. Japanese Marten is found in forests, and can occur in suburban areas with sufficient trees. In Japan the species prefers broad-leaved forest as its primary habitat, suggesting that it relies on the complexity of the forest structure for cover and fruiting trees. Not much is known about the longevity of these animals, but one specimen lived 12.3 years in captivity. [1] [2]
The Japanese marten is omnivorous. However, it may be characterized as an opportunistic generalist. It eats a highly diverse array of food through the year. Important foods are fruits and berries from spring to autumn, insects in summer and autumn, and small mammals and birds all year round. It likely competes with other carnivores for small mammals. [2]
One of the biggest roles martens play in the environment is seed dispersal. Many fleshy fruits rely on birds and bats to disperse their seeds. However, in more northern climates the numbers of these species decrease. With the decrease of these species, there also comes a decrease in seed dispersal. In these areas, carnivores with omnivorous diets, like the Japanese marten, can become the vector of dispersal. [3]
Trivia
- In the Iga region, Mie Prefecture, there is the saying, "the fox has seven disguises, the tanuki has eight, and the marten has nine," and there is a legend about how the marten has greater ability in shapeshifting than the fox (kitsune) or tanuki. In the Akita Prefecture and the Ishikawa Prefecture, it is said that if a marten crosses in front of someone, it is an omen for bad luck (the weasel has the same kind of legend), and in the Hiroshima Prefecture, it is said that if one kills a marten, one would encounter a fire. In the Fukushima Prefecture, they are also called heko, fuchikari, komono, and haya, and they are said to be those who have died in avalanches in disguise. [4]
References
1. Abramov, A. & Wozencraft, C. (2008). "Martes melampus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
2. "Martes melampus (Japanese marten)". Animal Diversity Web.
3. Otani, Tatsuya (2002). "Seed dispersal by Japanese marten Martes melampus in the subalpine shrubland of northern Japan". Ecological Research.
4. 村上健司 編著 『妖怪事典』 毎日新聞社、2000年、230頁。