There is so much beauty and cool wildlife in Colorado. Sometimes the photos of the wildlife that gets shared on social media are frightening and sometimes it's cute.

Recently I started seeing some sweet little faces pop up on a Colorado Wildlife Photography page I follow. The faces were of Pine Martens captured by Debbie Bain who lives outside of Basalt, Colorado at almost 8000 feet elevation.

Most of the pictures are of the female marten whom Debbie has named Morty. Morty has a suitor that has shown up named Marty who appears in some of the pictures.

Gallery Credit: Kama McDonald

Pine Martens Pine martens are related to a weasel

Pine martens are slightly larger than the weasel.

LOOK AT THAT FACE!

The pine martens markings are never the same.

PINE MARTENS BREED ONLY ONCE A YEAR

Mating season is one of the rare times you will hear pine martens make noise and it's a sharp cat-like sound.

 MARTY IS TOO BIG TO GET IN THAT BIRD FEEDER

The male pine marten is slightly larger than the female.

PINE MARTENS ARE EXCELLENT FISHERS AND CLIMBERS

They eat squirrels and chipmunks so following them into a tree is handy, but they also escape their own predators this way.

PINE MARTENS AND HOUSECAT HIGH FIVE EACH OTHER

Female martens tend to stay closer to their home while males roam up to 10 miles.

PINE MARTENS ARE NOT ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

In the early 1800s hunters were trapping martens for their beautiful fur and numbers dropped, but have since rebounded.

PINE MARTENS HAVE A DISTINCT 'BIB'

The pine marten has a distinguished "bib" that is a different color than the rest of its body.

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