Marmot Fossil range: Late Miocene - Recent
Yellow-bellied Marmot in Yosemite National Park
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae Subfamily: Xerinae Tribe: Marmotini Genus: Marmota Blumenbach, 1779
Species
Marmota baibacina Marmota bobak Marmota broweri Marmota caligata Marmota camtschatica Marmota caudata Marmota flaviventris Marmota himalayana Marmota marmota Marmota menzbieri Marmota monax Marmota olympus Marmota sibirica Marmota vancouverensis

Marmots are members of the genus Marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels). The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The Yellow-bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris) also known as the Rock Chuck, is a ground Squirrel in the Marmot genus Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must The Sciurids or Squirrels are a large family of Rodents. The word Sciuridae means "shade-tail" and refers to the bushy appendage possessed Xerinae is a Subfamily of Squirrels many of which are highly terrestrial The ground squirrels are the members of the Sciuridae most closely related to the Genus Marmota. Year 1779 ( MDCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common UserPolbot. -->The Gray Marmot ( Marmota baibacina) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The bobak marmot ( Marmota bobak) also known as the steppe marmot, is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the Steppes of Russia UserPolbot. -->The Alaska Marmot ( Marmota broweri) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The hoary marmot ( Marmota caligata) is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. UserPolbot. -->The Black-capped Marmot ( Marmota camtschatica) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae UserPolbot. -->The Long-tailed Marmot or Marmota De Cola Larga ( Marmota caudata) is a species of The Yellow-bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris) also known as the Rock Chuck, is a ground Squirrel in the Marmot genus Himalayan Marmots are Marmots found in the Himalayan regions ranging in elevation from 300 metres to 4500 metres The Alpine Marmot ( Marmota marmota) is a species of Marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. UserPolbot. -->The Menzbier's Marmot ( Marmota menzbieri) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The Olympic Marmot, Marmota olympus, is a Marmot (a Rodent in the Squirrel family Sciuridae) UserPolbot. -->The Tarbagan marmot ( Marmota sibirica) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The Vancouver Island marmot ( Marmota vancouverensis) is found only in the high mountainous regions of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must The Sciurids or Squirrels are a large family of Rodents. The word Sciuridae means "shade-tail" and refers to the bushy appendage possessed

Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. The ground squirrels are the members of the Sciuridae most closely related to the Genus Marmota. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, Carpathians, Tatra, and Pyrenees in Europe, the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada in the United States, and Northern Canada. The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати Panorama tatierjpg|thumb|right|300px|Panorama of Tatras]]The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra ( Tatry in both Polish and Slovak) The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page However, the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, while the similarly-sized but more social prairie dog is not classified in the genus Marmota but in the related genus Cynomys. The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The prairie dogs ( Cynomys) are small burrowing Rodents native to the Grasslands of North America The prairie dogs ( Cynomys) are small burrowing Rodents native to the Grasslands of North America

Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an Animal to create a space suitable for habitation temporary refuge or as a byproduct of locomotion For the ability of certain operating systems see Hibernate (OS feature Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.

Some historians suggest that marmots, rather than rats, were the primary carriers of the Bubonic plague or yersinia pestis during several historic outbreaks. Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as [1]Through this they are credited with a death toll of over a billion, making them second only to the malarial mosquito as a killer of humans.

The name marmot comes from French marmotte, from Old French marmotan, marmontaine, from Old Franco-Provençal, from Low Latin mures montani "mountain mouse", from Latin mures monti, from Classical Latin mures alpini "Alps mouse".

Marmots mainly eat greens. They eat many types of grasses, berries, lichens, mosses, roots and flowers.

The writings of Marco Polo refer to the marmot as "Pharaoh's rats. Marco Polo ( September 15 1254 – January 9 1324 at earliest but no later than June 1325 was a Venetian trader and explorer "

Marmots are also credited with transmitting numerous coughing ailments to humans.

Species

The following is a list of all Marmota species recognized by Thorington and Hoffman (2005). They divide marmots into two subgenera. In Biology, a subgenus is a Taxonomic rank directly below Genus.

• Genus Marmota - marmots
  • Subgenus Marmota
    • Alpine Marmot Marmota marmota found only in Europe in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatra, and reintroduced in the Pyrenees. The Alpine Marmot ( Marmota marmota) is a species of Marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати Panorama tatierjpg|thumb|right|300px|Panorama of Tatras]]The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra ( Tatry in both Polish and Slovak) The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés
    • Gray Marmot or Altai Marmot Marmota baibacina Siberia
    • Bobak Marmot Marmota bobak Central Europe to Central Asia
    • Alaska Marmot, Brower's Marmot or Brooks Range Marmot Marmota broweri Nearctic
    • Black-capped Marmot Marmota camtschatica Eastern Siberia
    • Long-tailed Marmot, Golden Marmot or Red Marmot Marmota caudata Central Asia
    • Himalayan marmot or Tibetan Snow Pig Marmota himalayana Himalaya
    • Menzbier's Marmot Marmota menzbieri Central Asia
    • Woodchuck, Groundhog, or Whistlepig Marmota monax North America
    • Tarbagan Marmot, Mongolian Marmot or Tarvaga Marmota sibirica, Siberia
  • Subgenus Petromarmota
    • Hoary Marmot Marmota caligata Northwestern North America
    • Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris South western Canada, Western United States
    • Olympic Marmot Marmota olympus Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
    • Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Examples of species

A Yellow-bellied Marmot near Princeton, British Columbia	Groundhog, Marmota monax	A Hoary Marmot in Mt. Rainier National Park	Alpine Marmot in the Massif des Écrins, southern France. UserPolbot. -->The Gray Marmot ( Marmota baibacina) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving The bobak marmot ( Marmota bobak) also known as the steppe marmot, is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the Steppes of Russia UserPolbot. -->The Alaska Marmot ( Marmota broweri) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The Brooks Range is a Mountain range that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada 's Yukon Territory, a total distance The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial Ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface UserPolbot. -->The Black-capped Marmot ( Marmota camtschatica) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving UserPolbot. -->The Long-tailed Marmot or Marmota De Cola Larga ( Marmota caudata) is a species of Himalayan Marmots are Marmots found in the Himalayan regions ranging in elevation from 300 metres to 4500 metres UserPolbot. -->The Menzbier's Marmot ( Marmota menzbieri) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae UserPolbot. -->The Tarbagan marmot ( Marmota sibirica) is a species of Rodent in the Sciuridae The hoary marmot ( Marmota caligata) is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. The Yellow-bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris) also known as the Rock Chuck, is a ground Squirrel in the Marmot genus Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Olympic Marmot, Marmota olympus, is a Marmot (a Rodent in the Squirrel family Sciuridae) Geography The Olympic Peninsula is home to some of the only Temperate rain forests in the world including the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Vancouver Island marmot ( Marmota vancouverensis) is found only in the high mountainous regions of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada Vancouver Island is a large Island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Yellow-bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris) also known as the Rock Chuck, is a ground Squirrel in the Marmot genus Princeton (originally Vermilion Forks) is a small town in the Similkameen region of British Columbia, Canada. The groundhog ( Marmota monax) also known as the woodchuck land beaver or whistlepig, is a Rodent of the family Sciuridae The hoary marmot ( Marmota caligata) is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington The Alpine Marmot ( Marmota marmota) is a species of Marmot found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. The mountains of the Massif des Écrins form the core of the Parc national des Écrins in France.
drawing of Bobak Marmot	Olympic Marmot

References

• Thorington, R. The bobak marmot ( Marmota bobak) also known as the steppe marmot, is a Species of Marmot that inhabits the Steppes of Russia The Olympic Marmot, Marmota olympus, is a Marmot (a Rodent in the Squirrel family Sciuridae) W. Jr. and R. S. Hoffman. 2005. Family Sciuridae. Pp. 754-818 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

External links

• The Marmot Burrow
• International Marmot Network