Sable, << SAY buhl, >> is a small animal in the weasel family. It has the most valuable pelt of all weasels. Sables range from eastern Russia across Siberia and Mongolia to Hokkaido, in northern Japan. They are closely related to North American pine martens, also called American sables (see Marten). Sables have slender, supple bodies that measure 18 to 30 inches (46 to 76 centimeters) in length, including a tail 4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 centimeters) long. Sable fur ranges from pale grayish-brown to almost black, with a grayish-yellow patch on the throat. Female sables give birth to 3 to 4 young each spring. Adult animals can reach about 15 years of age.
Furriers make sable coats into expensive clothing. Due to the demand for the fur, trappers have killed off sables in many parts of their range. However, conservation measures have helped increase populations of this rare animal in some areas.
