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Marmota flaviventris
The yellow-bellied marmot is a large, heavy-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. This particular species is mainly yellowish-brown in color, with a bright yellow to yellow-red underside. They also have distinct yellow speckling on both sides of their necks, a white spot in between their eyes, and beige or yellow patches beneath their ears. They have bushy tails and have hoary fur with whitish tips.
Talus slopes near alpine meadow above 13,000 ft.
Went up into the high country today in hopes of seeing some alpine wildlife (Mountain Goats, Bighorn, pika, marmot, etc). Just as we got up above tree-line the weather quickly turned bad. Fog and a snow/rain mixture made for a very uncomfortable time. I took a couple shots of this marmot as he/she was the only wildlife we really saw. I may try my luck again next weekend!
Spotted on Aug 25, 2013
Submitted on Aug 26, 2013
25 Comments (1–25)
Possibly ulvalactuca77! What elevation were you at? If you were above tree line then it could have been a marmot or a pika. If you were around town or in the foothills it may have been a prairie dog! Marmots are noticeably bigger though!
I wonder if this is what I saw hiking in CO. I thought they were ground hogs but the were loud and territorial to each other but not skittish to people.
too cute.
Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! They love their life above treeline!
Thank you jheitor!
excelent
Thank you all!
Nice!
So cute!!! <3
Oh, it is so fat and cute! Great shot Emily!
Thank you Mark and Surekha!
Oh, so cute!
Good spotting, A well fed one.
Thank you Lindsy! I keep laughing at all the comments about his chubbiness! He did kind of look like a marmot log! :D
So cute! Those marmots are so fun to watch. This one is so round! :)
Thank you Reza and Alexandra!
Wonderful !
Lovely!! So cute!
Hahaha Marta! Indeed! Winter is incredibly tough at 13,000 ft! I sure hope he is prepared! :)
Seems well pepared for the winter! :-)
Thanks Beaker and Yuko! They are super cute! They are extra fat this time of year as they are preparing to hibernate starting in September!
Super cute!
That is just cute:)
Thank you Satyen! I was disappointed I didn't see more wildlife, but I did enjoy watching this chubby little cutie warm up on a rock!
Nice series!