The hoary marmot is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover.
Similar species: Rodents
By morpheme
All rights reserved
Uploaded Aug 9, 2014. Captured Aug 7, 2014 16:05 in Golden Gate Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Ashford, WA 98304, USA.
comments (4)
Hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) are the largest members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) in North America. They weigh up to 30 lbs (13.6 kg)! Hoary marmots have an alpine distribution that ranges from Alaska through northwest Canada and south to Washington, Idaho, and Montana. They are only active for four months of the year because they hibernate from September to April.
As social animals, they live in small groups, called colonies. They spend their summers grazing on alpine grasses and forbs, basking in the sun, raising their young, playing, and watching for predators. Wind is very important to these animals because it controls mosquitoes, which annoy marmots so much that they will actually stop foraging if mosquito levels are high.
Marmots have important ecological roles. They are a source of food for many predators. Plus, they have useful poop. Their feces are eaten by pikas and also serve to enrich the soil. In addition, they are indicator species because they have little commercial value and are rarely impacted by human activities. Alpine ecosystems are very vulnerable to climate change, so any significant change in marmot populations could be indicative of changes in alpine snowpack, plant abundance, and predator populations. {Spotted in Washington state, USA by JungleDragon moderator, morpheme} #JungleDragon #HoaryMarmot #Marmotacaligata
Morpheme has an impressive collection of photos from the Pacific Northwest: https://www.jungledragon.com/user/1590/popular
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife
Posted 4 years ago