One of the 8 marmots on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae
Long-tailed Marmot
Marmota caudata
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The long-tailed marmot is a mountain rodent of the Pamirs, the Tian Shan, the Karakoram and the western Himalaya. It lives in family colonies that dig complex tunnel systems in the alpine meadows, with deep hibernation burrows where the group spends the long winters together. It feeds on grasses and flowers and lays down fat during the short mountain summer. Its very high-pitched alarm whistles warn the whole colony of the presence of golden eagles or foxes.
Weight
4 kg – 8 kg
Size
45 cm – 60 cm
Life expectancy
15 years
