These weasel-like animals are good at hunting and climbing trees. They are one of only a few animals that can kill and eat a porcupine. To avoid its quills, they use speed to stay in front of the porcupine and swat at its face.

What They Eat
Despite their name, fishers do not catch or eat fish. Instead, they eat small or dead animals, and wild berries and nuts when available.

Where They Live
Fishers need mature forests or dense wetlands. Slender bodies allow them to follow prey into hollow trees or burrows in the ground. They do not keep a den, though they may hole up for a short rest or to avoid extreme cold.

What They Do
Fishers are constantly moving and can walk long distances in one day. A male fisher’s range can be up to 150 square miles.

How They’re Doing
In the past, fishers almost disappeared from Minnesota’s northern forests because of excessive trapping and logging. They are now doing well again.

Fishers are known for their unusual screaming call. Sometimes it’s confused with the sound of a child shouting for help.

Normally shy and secretive, fishers are difficult to breed in zoos. However, on March 23, 2008, three fisher kittens were born at the Minnesota Zoo.

Hind paws that rotate allow fishers to grasp branches and climb down trees head first.