(1) Fishers are among the least understood of the weasel family, or mustelids , which also includes martens, minks, ermines, ferrets, badgers, otters, and wolverines.(2) Europeans arrived in the early 1800s, bringing with them mustelids (stoats, ferrets, and weasels), cats, and two more species of rats.(3) Predators of erethizontids include mustelids such as martens, minks, wolverines, ermine, weasels, and fishers.(4) All mustelids have well-developed anal glands; these are potent weapons of defense in some species such as skunks.(5) Like other mustelids , fishers have a high metabolic rate and are ravenous eaters.
