Yellow-bellied Marmot

Description:

The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the rock chuck, is a ground squirrel in the marmot genus. They usually weigh from 1.6 to 5.2 kilograms (3.5 to 11 lb) when fully grown. They get fatter in the Autumn just before hibernating.

Habitat:

The yellow-bellied marmot lives in the western United States and southwestern Canada, including the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. It inhabits steppes, meadows, talus fields and other open habitats, sometimes on the edge of deciduous or coniferous forests, and typically above 6,500 feet (2,000 m) of elevation.