Taxonomy
The Latin specific name pennanti is named for Thomas Pennant who described the fisher in 1771. Buffon had first described the creature in 1765, calling it a pekan. Pennant examined the same specimen but called it a fisher, unaware of Buffon's earlier description. Other 18th-century scientists gave it similar names, such as Schreber, who named it Mustela canadensis, and Boddaert, who named it Mustela melanorhyncha. The fisher was eventually placed in the genus Martes by Smith in 1843.
Members of the genus Martes are distinguished by their four premolar teeth on the upper and lower jaws. Its close relative Mustela has only three. The fisher has 38 teeth. The dentition formula is:
| Dentition |
|---|
| 3.1.4.1 |
| 3.1.4.2 |
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