The nimble and persistent marten can be seen in the nocturnal footage unfazed by the fox's size as it confidently "pursues" it, though it is unclear whether either or both animals were playing.

In any case, a pine marten would be somewhat of a mouthful for a fox, whose main diet consists of voles, mice and other rodents – though young hares and even squirrels are sometimes on the menu too.

Pine martens punch above their weight when it comes to prey too, and have been observed to chase down and kill a larger snowshoe hare, to raid squirrels' nests and to hunt birds and rodents and other small mammals.

Neither fox nor marten would turn its nose up at a range of other sources of food including snails, earthworms, insects and even carrion.

Neither animal cropping up in Võru came as no major surprise – while the phenomenon of urban foxes is well known, pine martens generally do not shy away from human settlement and can even be caught exploring attics or outbuildings in more rural areas.

Mare Trump, who recorded the videos, said the cameras are placed on a property by a river where a wide range of wildlife, including martens, has been roaming for years.

Pine martens often nest in tree hollows or even take over the nests of red squirrels or larger birds, and while they usually avoid bodies of water, they can be seen moving through reeds when ice forms, in search of prey.

The European pine marten is the only mustelid with semi-retractable claws. This enables them to lead more arboreal lifestyles, including climbing or running on tree branches, although they are also relatively quick runners on the ground as the video shows. They are mainly active at night and dusk.

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