Himalayan marmot

Appearance

The Himalayan marmot has a dense woolly fur that is rufous grey on the back and rufous yellowish on ears, belly and limbs. The bridge of its nose and end of tail is dark brown. It is one of the largest marmots in the world, being about the size of a large housecat. Average body mass ranges from 4 to 9.2 kg, with weights lowest post-hibernation in spring and highest prior to it in autumn. In the autumn, average weight is reportedly more than 7 kg in both sexes. Total length is about 45 to 67 cm, with a tail length of 12 to 15 cm.

Distribution

The Himalayan marmot occurs in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau at altitudes of 3,000 to 5,500 m in northeastern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. In China, it has been recorded in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Xizang, western Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. In the west its distribution reaches that of the long-tailed marmot, but the two are not known to hybridize. The Himalayan marmot lives in short grass steppes or alpine habitats, typically above the tree line but below the permanent snow limit.

Behavior

The Himalayan marmot lives in colonies and excavates deep burrows that colony members share during hibernation. The species hibernates from the late autumn to the early spring, on average for 71⁄2 months. Burrows are between 2 and 10 m deep, given that the upper soil layer is sufficiently light and deep such as fluvioglacial, deluvial and alluvial deposits. Where soil conditions are ideal on alluvial terraces, marmot colonies comprise up to 30 families, with up to 10 families living in an area of 1 km. The marmot eats plants growing on pastures, in particular the soft and juicy parts of grassy plant species like "Carex", "Agrostis", "Deschampsia", "Koeleria" and flowering species like "Euphrasia", "Gentiana", "Halenia", "Polygonum", "Primula", "Ranunculus", "Saussurea", "Taraxacum" "Iris potaninii".

Reproduction

Females become sexually mature at the age of two years. After one month of gestation they give birth to litters of two to 11 young.

Predators

On the Tibetan plateau, marmot species form part of snow leopard prey. Other predators of Himalayan marmots include Tibetan wolves, red fox, and large birds of prey like hawks, kestrels, bearded vultures, and golden eagles.