Marmota marmota
Alpine Marmots are large, powerfully built rodents and are members of the squirrel family. They have very short legs and a relatively long, thick tail. They reach 60 cm in length, weigh 2.5–6.5 kg, and have a tail that measures 15–20 cm. The fur is thick and long, with the ears barely visible under the fur. This marmot is greyish brown or greyish black from the head down the back, and a slightly lighter reddish brown on the undersides. The cheeks are slightly paler.
Alpine Marmots can be seen only in the summer. WWE.
Alpine Marmots are active during the day and feed on grass, herbs, roots, and berries. They live in family groups or larger colonies consisting of 5–15 individuals. One marmot will sit upright on its hind legs and work as a lookout while the other marmots eat. Alpine Marmots dig tunnels in the earth that are up to 10 m long and 3 m deep, where they retreat as soon as they sense a threat. They give loud warning signals at the first sign of danger. With the first frosts, marmots go into hibernation in deep tunnels cushioned with dry grass; the entrance hole is sealed with earth, and the animals will hibernate for up to six months.
Alpine Marmots normally live in grassy embankments in the Alps above tree line and up to an altitude of 3,200 m; they have also been introduced into the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Vosges, and a variety of countries (Poland, Rumania, Slovakia, and Slovenia among others).
Tracks of an Alpine Marmot in snow, the front footprints behind the pair of hind footprints. PB.
The tracks clearly show the small oval prints of the five toes of the hind feet and the four toes of the front. The print of the midsection of the ball of the foot appears as a large single print with wavy borders. The heel leaves two distinct marks, the inner somewhat larger than the outer. The hind footprint is about 5.5 cm long and 4 cm wide; the front footprint is about 5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.
When walking, a marmot places its hind feet in the prints of the front feet. The stride is normally about 20 cm, but when the marmot scampers, it is about 50 cm, and the prints of the hind feet fall in front of those of the front feet.
The Alpine Marmot has powerful digging claws on its hind feet. IA.
Alpine Marmots have short legs that leave drag marks in the snow. ED.
The entrance to the tunnel system is usually in a slope with a southern or southwestern exposure, sometimes also beneath rocks or large stones. The entrance holes are somewhat larger than those made by a Rabbit.
The entrance to an Alpine Marmot’s burrow. PB.
