Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae

Long-tailed Marmot

Marmota caudata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

MountainGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Mountain Grassland Mammal

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Fun facts

It has the longest tail of any marmot, up to 28 centimetres, almost half its body length.
It can hibernate for up to eight months a year, emerging from the burrow only when the snow clears from the alpine meadows.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Alpine meadows, scree and grassy slopes of the Himalaya and Central Asia, up to 4,800 m
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 30 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmota_caudata