Marmot
|
|
| Marmots | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing image Groundhog.jpg Groundhog Groundhog, Marmota monax | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| see text | ||||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||||
|
see text |
Marmots are members of the genus Marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels).
Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevadas in the United States or the European Alps. However the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, and the prairie dog is also better called a "prairie marmot", though it is not classified in the genus Marmota but in the closely related genus Cynomys.
Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.
Species of marmot
- Gray Marmot or Altai Marmot Marmota baibacina Siberia
- Bobak Marmot Marmota bobak Central Europe to Central Asia
- Alaska Marmot, Brower's Marmot or Brook's Range Marmot Marmota broweri Nearctic
- Hoary Marmot Marmota caligata North western North America
- Black-Capped Marmot Marmota camtschatica Eastern Siberia
- Red Marmot, Golden Marmot or Long-Tailed Marmot Marmota caudata Central Asia
- Yellow-Bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris South western Canada, Western United States
- Himalayan marmot or Tibetan Snow Pig Marmota himalayana Himalaya
- Alpine Marmot Marmota marmota Central and Western European Alps, introduced into the Pyrenees.
- Menzbier's Marmot Marmota menzbieri Central Asia
- Woodchuck, Groundhog, or Whistlepig Marmota monax North America
- Olympic Marmot Marmota olympus Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
- Tarvaga, Tarbagan or Mongolian Marmot Marmota sibirica, Siberia
- Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Missing image
CedarBrMarmotFxCr_wb.jpg
CedarBrMarmotFxCr_wb.jpg
At Cedar Breaks, a marmot's (lower right) natural camouflage hides it in a pile of rocks, a common habitat.
External links
- The Marmot Burrow (http://www.marmotburrow.ucla.edu)
- International Marmot Network (http://cons-dev.univ-lyon1.fr/MARMOTTE/MARMOT.EN/marmotnetwork.html)
Missing image
Pdphoto_canada_41_bg_061904.jpg
Pdphoto_canada_41_bg_061904.jpg
Yellow-bellied marmot in Glacier National Park (Canada)