Hoary Marmot ( Marmota caligata )

Hoary Marmot, Canada

Photograph by ElaCol. Some rights reserved.

Hoary Marmot, Denali National Highway. The residents up there call them "whistle pigs"---they make a whistling noise, like guinea pigs.

Photograph by Steve Deger. Some rights reserved.

HOARY MARMOT FACTS

distribution map showing range of Marmota caligata in North America

Description
Hoary marmots are greyish brown. The front half of the back is white with black hair, and rest of back is brown. The head and neck is brown with white around the nose and lips. The claws are thick and slightly curved. The claws are heavier on the front feet than on the hind feet. The eyes are small and round, and the ears are short and rounded.

Size
Length: 45 - 57cm; tail length 17 - 25cm

Environment
alpine and subalpine mountain slopes, subalpine meadows, rocky outcrops

Food
Hoary marmots are mainly herbivorous and eat leaves, flowers and seeds.

Breeding
2-5 young are born in underground burrow after a gestation period of 25 - 35 days. The young stay in the burrow until they are about one month old.

Range
from Idaho and Washington, western parts of Canada, and throughout most of Alaska

Classification

Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Marmota
Species:	caligata
Common Name:	Hoary Marmot

Relatives in same Genus
  Yellow-bellied Marmot (M. flaviventris)
  Woodchuck (M. monax)
  Olympic Marmot (M. olympus)