Hoary Marmot

Description:

The hoary marmot has thick, silvery-gray fur on its head, shoulders and half of its back. It has reddish-brown fur on the back half of its back, its rump and on its long bushy tail. It has black feet, a white patch of fur between its small, round eyes and white fur around its nose and mouth. It has small ears and long, curved claws on both its front and hind paws.

Habitat:

The hoary 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.