Sable - Kuroten (English spelling) sable

A mammalian animal of the order Carnivora and family Mustelidae. It is also called sable. It was once found in Northern Europe, but is now extinct. It is now found in Siberia, northern China, and Hokkaido in Japan. Its body length is 40-55 cm, and its tail length is 12-19 cm. Its coat color is usually black-brown, but some are closer to black or yellow. Its throat is yellowish-white. It lives in forests, but rarely climbs trees. It stays in tree holes or burrows at the base of trees during the day, and eats small mammals, small birds, fish, and fruit at night. It mates in the summer and gives birth to three or four pups around April of the following year. Its lifespan in captivity is 15 years. This species' fur has been known since ancient Greece, and those that are close to pure black were especially prized as mourning clothes for aristocrats. This led to its extinction in Northern Europe. In Russia, capture was restricted during the Soviet era, and it has been successfully farmed since 1933, and farmed individuals are now released. It is also farmed in China. In Japan, legally they are not distinguished from martens and are treated as game animals, but in Hokkaido their capture is prohibited along with that of weasels.

[Minoru Asahi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱食肉目イタチ科の動物。セーブルともいう。以前は北ヨーロッパにもいたが絶滅し、現在ではシベリア、中国北部、および日本では北海道に分布する。体長40～55センチメートル、尾長12～19センチメートル。毛色は黒褐色が普通であるが、黒色や黄色に近いものもいる。のどの部分は黄白色である。森林にすむが木にはほとんど登らず、日中は樹洞や木の根元の巣穴にいて、夜、小哺乳類、小鳥、魚、果実などを食べる。夏に交尾し、翌年の4月ごろに3、4子を産む。飼育下での寿命は15年である。本種の毛皮は古代ギリシア時代より知られ、とくに純黒に近いものは貴族の喪服用に珍重された。そのため北ヨーロッパでは絶滅を招いた。ロシアでは旧ソ連時代に捕獲を規制するとともに、1933年以降養殖に成功していて、現在では養殖個体の放獣もしている。また、中国でも養殖している。日本では法規上はテンと区別されず狩猟獣扱いであるが、北海道ではイタチとともに捕獲を禁止している。

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