Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Marmota flaviventris

Least Concern

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

It spends roughly 80% of its life underground in burrows, hibernating for as much as 8 months a year, during which it can lose 50% of its body weight.

Weight

1.6 kg – 5.2 kg

Size

47 cm – 70 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

MountainHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Mountain Mammal

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Fun facts

That hibernation is the species' main cause of death.
It eats grasses, insects and the occasional bird's egg.
It lives on rocky mountain meadows of the western United States and Canada.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Rocky mountain meadows of the western United States and Canada
Birth weight: 33.8 g and 111 mm long at birth
Size at birth: 33.8 g at birth
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: ~30 days
Litter / clutch size: 3 to 8 young per litter (average 4.3)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 21.2 years

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Wikipedia (Yellow-bellied marmot); BioKIDS; Journal of Zoology (32-year demography study); NPS Jewel Cave