Past wildlife
I have a long tail that is thick and bushy in the winter. I have a pale yellow bib, with a shape unique to me, like your fingerprints. The rest of my fur coat is brown. I have long legs and a slim body. When I am fully grown I am about the size of a pet cat, and one of my favourite things to do is to climb trees.
Can you guess what animal I am?
Terry Whittaker/2020 Vision
Pine marten (Martes martes) youngster in woodland, Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, Wester Ross, Scotland, UK - Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Terry Whittaker
I'm a pine marten!
Pine marten (c) Terry Whittaker
During the Mesolithic era, 8,000 years ago, pine martens were the UK's second most common carnivore, and you would have found them here on Robinswood Hill.
Sadly, as humans removed woodland habitats that pine martens called home and hunted them, they went extinct across much of the UK. By 1915, hardly any were left in England and Wales, with most of the population restricted to the Scottish Highlands.
In 2019 18 pine martens were moved from healthy populations in Scotland to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The population in the Forest is now slowly growing, with a few new babies (known as kits) being born each year. Recently, more pine martens have been moved from Scotland to join the population in the Forest and help increase numbers.
You can find out more about Project Pine Marten here which has been run by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, in partnership with the Vincent Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, Forest Research, Forest Holidays and the Woodland Trust,