Alpine marmot

Description:

An alpine marmot munching on flowers, spotted 1900 m above sea level. Weighing up to 8 kg, alpine marmots are one of the largest of the Sciuridae. Their coat goes from dark brown to blonde through grey.

Habitat:

Native to the European Alps. They prefer alpine meadows and high-altitude pastures above the tree line and live in deep burrow systems, where they hibernate huddled next to each other from October to April.

Notes:

You hear them before you see them! Marmots will whistle to each other warning for predators such as eagles. It is common to find an individual watching out for the colony from an elevated rock as shown on the 3rd and 4th pics. The last pic shows more of the marmot’s natural environment.