The Truth About Fisher Cat Sounds
The idea that fisher cats produce blood-curdling screams is a widespread misconception. These animals do not typically make loud, high-pitched screaming noises. Leading experts in fisher research confirm that fishers primarily communicate through quieter vocalizations.
Their actual sounds include low chuckles, growls, hisses, and soft chirps. These subtle noises are used for various purposes, such as warning off rivals, defending territory, or during playful interactions among kits. While fishers may screech when severely threatened or distressed, this is not their typical vocalization pattern. Predators generally do not announce their presence with loud screams, as it would alert prey and other predators to their location.
Understanding the Fisher Cat
The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a carnivorous mammal native to North America. It belongs to the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, otters, and martens. Fishers possess a long, slender body, short legs, and a bushy tail, giving them a weasel-like appearance.
Males are significantly larger than females, with males weighing between 8 and 16 pounds and measuring up to 3 feet long, while females typically weigh 4 to 6 pounds and are around 2 feet long. Their fur color ranges from deep brown to black, often appearing darker in winter, and can have hoary-gold or silver guard hairs around the face and shoulders. Fishers inhabit forests across Canada and the northern United States, preferring continuous forest cover, particularly mixed-hardwood and conifer forests.
These animals are primarily solitary and nocturnal or crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. They are agile climbers, capable of descending trees head-first due to their unique hind ankle rotation. Their diet is omnivorous, consisting mainly of small mammals like snowshoe hares, squirrels, mice, and voles. Fishers are also one of the few predators known to successfully hunt porcupines, often by repeatedly biting the porcupine’s face until it is incapacitated.
Identifying Common Nocturnal Noises
The piercing screams often attributed to fisher cats are frequently misidentified sounds from other nocturnal animals. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a common source of these startling vocalizations. Male red foxes emit high-pitched, scream-like noises, particularly during mating season to warn off rivals or attract mates. Female red foxes also produce shrill shrieks.
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) can also produce loud, human-like screams, especially during their breeding season or when they feel threatened. These sounds are deep and loud. Additionally, the distress calls of animals such as rabbits can be mistaken for other creatures’ cries.
Red fox screams are typically drawn-out wails, often heard in sets of 3 to 10 seconds. Bobcat screams can be very loud and deep, sometimes accompanied by growls or hisses if the animal feels threatened.