The name "sable" originates from Slavic languages and entered Western European languages through the medieval fur trade. Sables are small, omnivorous mammals that inhabit dense forests in regions like Russia, Mongolia, and China. They are known for their luxurious fur, which ranges from light to dark brown and is softer and silkier than that ofAmerican martens. Sables resemble pine martens in size and appearance but have more elongated heads, longer ears, and shorter tails. They are skilled climbers and primarily hunt by sound and scent. Mating occurs between June and August, and litters typically have two or three offspring. Sable fur has been highly valued in the fur trade since the early Middle Ages, and its popularity has driven hunting and conservation efforts. Today, sable fur is often used to decorate clothing items, and the species has no special conservation status according to theIUCN Red List.
Males measure 38–56 centimetres (15–22 in) in body length, with a tail measuring 9–12 centimetres (3.5–4.7 in), and weigh 880–1,800 grams (1.94–3.97 lb). Females have a body length of 35–51 centimetres (14–20 in), with a tail length of 7.2–11.5 centimetres (2.8–4.5 in).[5] The winter pelage is longer and more luxurious than the summer coat.[6] Differentsubspecies display geographic variations of fur colour, which ranges from light to dark brown, with individual coloring being lighter ventrally and darker on the back and legs.[7] Japanese sables (known locally asクロテン orkuroten)[8] in particular are marked with black on their legs and feet.[9] Individuals also display a light patch of fur on their throat which may be gray, white, or pale yellow.[6] The fur is softer and silkier than that ofAmerican martens.[10] Sables greatly resemblepine martens in size and appearance, but have more elongated heads, longer ears and proportionately shorter tails.[11] Their skulls are similar to those of pine martens, but larger and more robust with more archedzygomatic arches.[12]
A Japanese sable, as illustrated inThe Illustrated Natural History, 1865
Sables inhabit dense forests dominated byspruce,pine,larch,Siberian cedar, andbirch in both lowland and mountainous terrain. They defend hometerritories that may be anything from 4 to 30 square kilometres (1.5 to 11.6 sq mi) in size, depending on local terrain and food availability. However, when resources are scarce they may move considerable distances in search of food, with travel rates of 6 to 12 kilometres (3.7 to 7.5 mi) per day having been recorded.[13]
Sables live in burrows near riverbanks and in the thickest parts of woods. These burrows are commonly made more secure by being dug among tree roots.[9] They are good climbers of cliffs and trees.[14] They are primarilycrepuscular, hunting during the hours of twilight, but become more active in the day during the mating season. Their dens are well hidden, and lined by grass and shed fur, but may be temporary, especially during the winter, when the animal travels more widely in search of prey.[13]
Sables areomnivores, and their diet varies seasonally. In the summer, they eat large numbers ofmountain hare and other small mammals. In winter, when they are confined to their retreats by frost and snow, they feed on wild berries,rodents, hares, and even smallmusk deer.[13] They also huntermine, smallweasels and birds. Sometimes, sables follow the tracks ofwolves andbears and feed on the remains of their kills.[9] They eatgastropods such as slugs, which they rub on the ground in order to remove themucus. Sables also occasionally eat fish, which they catch with their front paws.[14]
They hunt primarily by sound and scent, and they have an acute sense ofhearing. Sables mark their territory with scent produced inglands on the abdomen.[13] Predators of sable include a number of larger carnivores, such as wolves, foxes,wolverines,tigers,lynxes,eagles and largeowls.[13]
Mating generally occurs between June and August 15, though the date varies geographically.[6][7] When courting, sables run, jump and "rumble" likecats. Males dig metre long shallow grooves in the snow, frequently accompanied by urination.[15] Males fight each other violently for females.[6] Females enterestrus in spring. Mating can last as long as eight hours. Afterinsemination, theblastocyst does not implant into the uterine wall of the female. Instead, implantation occurseight months later; althoughgestation lasts 245 to 298 days, embryonic development requires only 25–30 days.[7] Sables give birth in tree hollows, where they build nests composed of moss, leaves, and dried grass.[9] Litters number one to seven young, although litters of two or three are most common. Males assist females by defending their territories and providing food.[15]
Sables are born with eyes closed and skin covered in a very thin layer of hair. Newborn cubs weigh between 25 and 35 grams (0.88 and 1.23 oz) and average 10 to 12 centimetres (3.9 to 4.7 in) in length.[6][7][13] They open their eyes between 30 and 36 days, and leave the nest shortly afterwards.[5][7] At seven weeks, the young are weaned and given regurgitated food.[6] They reachsexual maturity at the age of two years.[5] They have been reported to live for up to twenty two years on fur farms, and up to eighteen years in the wild.[13]
Sables can interbreed withpine martens. This has been observed in the wild, where the two species overlap in theUral Mountains, and is sometimes deliberately encouraged on fur farms. The resulting hybrid, referred to as akidus, is slightly smaller than a pure sable, with coarser fur, but otherwise similar markings, and a long bushy tail. Kiduses are typicallysterile, although there has been one recorded instance of a female kidus successfully breeding with a male pine marten.[13]
A Russian sable, as illustrated inThe Trapper's Guide, 1867. The Russian variety yields the most valuable sable fur.[10]
In Russia, the sable's distribution is largely the result of mass re-introductions involving 19,000 animals between 1940 and 1965. Their range extends northward to the tree line, and extends south to 55–60° latitude in western Siberia, and 42° in the mountainous areas of eastern Asia. Their western distribution encompasses theUral Mountains, where they aresympatric with theEuropean pine marten. They are also found onSakhalin.[2]
In Mongolia, sables occur in theAltai Mountains and in the surrounding forests ofLake Hovsgol, the latter being contiguous with the Trans-Baikal boreal forest region from which the most valuable sable pelts come.[2] In China, sables occur in a limited area of theXinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In northeastern China, sables are now limited to theGreater Khingan Range. In eastern Heilongjiang, the persistence of sables is suspected in theLesser Khingan Range.[2] Sables also occur in Hokkaido and on the Korean peninsula.[2]
Because of the variable appearance of the sable in different geographic localities, there has been some debate over the exact number of subspecies that can be clearly identified.Mammal Species of the World recognises seventeen different subspecies,[16] but other recent scholarly sources have identified anything from seven to thirty.[13]
Sable fur has been a highly valued item in thefur trade since the earlyMiddle Ages, and is generally considered to have the most beautiful and richly tinted pelt among martens. Sable fur is unique because it retains its smoothness in every direction it is stroked. The fur of other animals feels rough stroked against the grain.[17] A wealthy 17th-century Russian diplomat once described the sable as "A beast that the Ancient Greeks and Romans called theGolden Fleece."[18] Russian sables would typically be skinned over the mouth with no incision being made on the body. The feet would be retained, so as to keep as much fur as possible.Byzantine priests would wear sable for their rituals.[19]
InEngland, sable fur was held in great esteem.Henry I was presented with a wreath of black sable by the Bishop of Lincoln, for no less than £100, a considerable sum at the time.[10] Sable fur was a favourite ofHenry VIII, who once received five sets of sable fur worth £400 fromEmperor Charles V.[19] Henry later decreed that sable fur was to be worn only by nobles exceeding the rank ofviscount.[20] TheRussian conquest of Siberia was largely spurred by the availability of sables there.[citation needed]Ivan Grozny once demanded an annual tribute of 30,000 sable pelts from the newly conqueredKazan Tatars, though they never sent more than a thousand, as Russia at the time was unable to enforce the tribute due to wars with Sweden and Poland.[18] The best skins were obtained inIrkutsk andKamchatka.
According to theSecret History of the Mongols, when Genghis Khan married his first wife,Börte Ujin, his motherHoelun received a coat of sable furs from the girl's parents. This was reportedly a very noble gift, serving not only an aesthetic need but also a practical one.[21] Shortly after, when the youngShigi Qutuqu was found wandering a destroyedTatar camp, he was recognised to be of noble descent because of his sable-linedsilkjerkin.[22][23]
According to Atkinson'sTravels in Asiatic Russia,Barguzin, onLake Baikal, was famed for its sables. The fur of this population is a deep jet black with white tipped hair. Eighty to ninety dollars were sometimes demanded by hunters for a single skin.[9] In 1916, the firstnature reserve in the Russian Empire was created—known as theBarguzin Nature Reserve—precisely to preserve and increase the numbers of Barguzin sable. Sable fur would continue to be the most favoured fur in Russia, until the discovery ofsea otters in theKamchatka peninsula, whose fur was considered even more valuable.[18] Sable furs were coveted by the nobility of theRussian Empire, with very few skins ever being found outside the country during that period. Some, however, would be privately obtained byJewish traders and brought annually to theLeipzig fair.[9] Sometimes, sable hunting was a job given to convicts exiled to Siberia.[11]
Imperial Russian fur companies produced 25,000 skins annually, with nearly ninety percent of the produce being exported toFrance andGermany. The civic robes of the Lord Mayor and Corporation ofLondon, which were worn on State occasions, were trimmed with sable.[10] As with minks and martens, sables were commonly caught in steel traps.[9] Intensified hunting in Russia in the 19th and early 20th century caused a severe-enough decline in numbers that a five-year ban on hunting was instituted in 1935, followed by a winter-limited licensed hunt. These restrictions together with the development of sable farms have allowed the species to recolonize much of its former range and attain healthy numbers.[7]
TheSoviet Union allowedOld Believer communities to continue their traditional way of life on the condition that they hand over all sable skins they produced.[24] Thedissolution of the Soviet Union led to an increase of hunting andpoaching in the 1990s, in part because wild caught Russian furs are considered the most luxurious and demand the highest prices on the international market.[25] Currently, the species has no special conservation status according to theIUCN Red List, though the isolated Japanese subspeciesM. zibellina brachyurus is listed as "data-deficient".[1]
Sable fur remains highly valued and is integrated into various clothing fashion items. It is used to decorate collars, sleeves, hems and hats (see, for example theshtreimel). The so-calledkolinsky sable-hair brushes used for watercolour or oil painting are not manufactured from sable hair, but from that of theSiberian weasel.
^abcdeHarrison, D. J., ed. (2004).Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments: An International Perspective. Springer-Verlag.ISBN978-0-387-22580-7.
^"sable, n., etymology of" The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press.http://dictionary.oed.com/. Accessed: 11-2-2008
^abcdefgThe trapper's guide: a manual of instructions for capturing all kinds of fur-bearing animals, and curing their skins; with observations on the fur-trade, hints on life in the woods, and narratives of trapping and hunting excursions by Sewell Newhouse, edited by John Humphrey Noyes, published by Oneida Community, 1867
^abcdeThe Friend: A Religious and Literary Journal, Volume 32, 1859
^abGeneral zoology, or, Systematic natural history, by G. Shaw, 1800
^Catalogue of the contents of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Volume 7. Printed by R. Taylor, 1853
^abThe Fur Bearing Mammals of the Soviet Union, produced by London's Hudson Bay, in association with v/o sojuzpushnina
^abTarasov, P. (1975). "Intraspecific Relations in Sable and Ermine", pp. 45–54 in C. King, ed.Biology of Mustelids: Some Soviet Research. Boston Spa: British Library Lending Division.ISBN9780853501268
