# Marmot — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Marmota (genus)*

> Marmots are large, burrowing ground squirrels of the genus Marmota found across mountain and steppe habitats in North America and Eurasia; most of the 15 species are Least Concern, though the Vancouver Island marmot is Critically Endangered and the Mongolian marmot is Endangered.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species — most Least Concern (IUCN); Vancouver Island marmot Critically Endangered; Mongolian marmot Endangered  ·  **WARN range:** North America, Europe, Central Asia, Himalayas, Siberia, Eastern Europe

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Type | Mammal (rodent) |
| Number of species | 15 recognised species |
| Adult weight | 2–9 kg (4.4–20 lb), up to ~9 kg pre-hibernation |
| Body length | 41–75 cm, plus 10–25 cm tail |
| Lifespan | Up to 15 years in the wild (yellow-bellied marmot); up to 18 years (alpine marmot) |
| Diet | Herbivore — grasses, forbs, berries, roots, flowers |
| Hibernation | 5–8 months annually in sealed burrows |
| Habitat | Alpine meadows, steppes, tundra, forest edges |
| Range | North America, Europe, Central Asia, Himalayas |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Rodentia
- **Family:** Sciuridae
- **Subfamily:** Xerinae
- **Tribe:** Marmotini
- **Genus:** Marmota (Frisch, 1775)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Varies by species — most Least Concern; Vancouver Island marmot Critically Endangered; Mongolian marmot Endangered
- **Population:** Most species stable with large populations; Vancouver Island marmot approx. 427 wild individuals (2025); Mongolian marmot severely reduced (~85% decline since 1970s)
- **Trend:** Stable for most species; increasing for Vancouver Island marmot following recovery efforts; declining for Mongolian marmot
- **Assessed:** 2016–2017 (varies by species)
- **CITES:** Marmota caudata (long-tailed marmot) listed on CITES Appendix III (India); most species not CITES-listed
- The Vancouver Island marmot is one of the world's rarest mammals and remains dependent on active conservation management despite recent population gains.

## Key facts: Marmot
- Marmots are the heaviest members of the squirrel family, capable of nearly doubling their body weight before entering hibernation each autumn, reaching up to 9 kg in the largest individuals.
- Their sophisticated alarm-call system distinguishes predator types: a single short whistle signals an aerial threat such as an eagle, while repeated multiple whistles warn of a ground predator such as a fox or wolf — evidence of semantic communication confirmed by published research.
- Most of the 15 species are stable and listed as Least Concern, but the Vancouver Island marmot (approx. 427 wild individuals in 2025) remains Critically Endangered, and the Mongolian tarbagan marmot is Endangered after an approximately 85% population decline.
- Marmots hibernate in sealed underground chambers for five to eight months, suppressing heart rate and body temperature to survive on fat reserves alone.
- Climate change is compressing alpine habitat upslope, threatening populations by reducing summer foraging seasons and increasing plague susceptibility through drought-linked stress.
- As prolific burrowers, marmots aerate mountain soils, recycle nutrients, and provide critical shelter structures used by many other species.

## What is a marmot?
Marmots are robust, ground-dwelling rodents belonging to the genus Marmota within the family Sciuridae — the squirrel family. They are classified within the subfamily Xerinae, tribe Marmotini, alongside prairie dogs, chipmunks, and ground squirrels. Fifteen living species are recognised, ranging from the familiar groundhog (Marmota monax) of North American lowlands to the high-altitude Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) found at elevations up to 5,500 metres. Adults typically measure 41–75 cm in head-body length, with a bushy tail adding a further 10–25 cm, and weigh 2–9 kg depending on species and season. Their bodies are built for burrowing: short, powerful limbs, broad flat skulls, prominent incisors, and robust claws adapted to excavating hard mountain soil. Fur colouring ranges from the tawny ochre of the yellow-bellied marmot to the grizzled grey of the alpine marmot. Males and females are similar in appearance, though males are typically larger. The groundhog is unusual in preferring lowland woodland edges; the majority of marmots are montane or steppe animals that seek out open terrain with deep soil or talus slopes suitable for their extensive burrow systems.

## Where do marmots live?
Marmots occupy a vast Holarctic range stretching across three continents. In North America, species are found from Alaska's Brooks Range and the boreal tundra southward through the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range into Mexico's northern highlands. The groundhog extends across the eastern deciduous lowlands of the United States and Canada. In Eurasia, the alpine marmot inhabits subalpine meadows of the Alps, Carpathians, and Pyrenees, while Himalayan and long-tailed marmots colonise the high-altitude grasslands and plateaux of Central Asia, Tibet, and the Qinghai-Xizang plateau — most commonly between 3,500 and 5,200 metres. The tarbagan (Mongolian) marmot occupies steppe grasslands across Mongolia, northern China, and southern Russia. Typical habitat features include: open terrain for vigilance; deep, frost-free soil or rocky talus for burrow construction; and productive summer vegetation to support intense pre-hibernation fattening. Marmots are especially abundant at elevations of 1,500–4,500 m, where cooler temperatures reduce competition from other rodents. Burrow systems are elaborate, with separate summer (shallow, multi-exit) and winter (deep, single-entrance) structures, the latter lined with dried grass to insulate the hibernating family group.

## How do marmots survive winter?
Hibernation is the defining adaptation of the marmot genus, and it is one of the most physiologically extreme examples among large mammals. As autumn advances, marmots enter sealed winter burrows — often with their entire family group — and sink into true torpor. Core body temperature falls to within a degree or two of burrow ambient temperature, heart rate drops from roughly 100 beats per minute to as few as 4–9 depending on species and depth of torpor, and breathing slows dramatically. Torpor bouts last up to two weeks, interrupted by brief arousals during which marmots rewarm and urinate; the physiological purpose of these arousals is still debated, though immune function and DNA repair are leading hypotheses. Most species emerge in April or May having consumed approximately one-third of their body mass in stored fat. Pre-hibernation fattening is therefore a summer-long priority: individuals that fail to accumulate sufficient fat — particularly juveniles and reproductive females during drought years — face significantly higher overwinter mortality. Intriguingly, research on yellow-bellied marmots published in Nature Ecology and Evolution (2022) has shown that hibernation appears to slow epigenetic ageing, contributing to their relatively long lifespan of up to 15 years — exceptional for a rodent of their size. Climate change is disrupting this tightly tuned cycle: warmer springs trigger earlier emergence, while reduced snowpack and summer drought can cut foraging seasons and compromise fat accumulation.

## What do marmots eat and who eats them?
Marmots are strict herbivores, feeding on a broad spectrum of montane vegetation including grasses, sedges, forbs, wildflowers, berries, roots, mosses, and lichens. Feeding bouts are most intense in mid-summer when meadow productivity peaks. As they graze, marmots serve as important seed dispersers, passing viable seeds through their digestive systems and distributing them across their home ranges. Their burrows and digging activity also aerate compacted alpine soils, accelerating nutrient cycling and influencing local plant community composition. As prey, marmots are central to mountain food webs. Primary predators include golden eagles and other large raptors, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, wolverines, and bears. Marmots deploy a tiered anti-predator strategy: individuals take turns as sentinels, standing upright on prominent boulders to survey the landscape. Upon detecting a threat, the sentinel emits a specific call — a single short whistle that signals an aerial threat such as an eagle, or repeated multiple whistles that warn colony members of an approaching ground predator like a fox or wolf. Research on alpine marmots published in Ethology Ecology and Evolution has confirmed this represents genuine semantic communication, as colony members respond differently to each call type, retreating underground within seconds. Scent marking with cheek glands also helps demarcate territory and provide social information within the colony.

## Which marmot species are under threat?
The conservation picture across the genus Marmota is uneven. Most species, including the yellow-bellied marmot, alpine marmot, and groundhog, are assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with stable or recovering populations. However, two species face acute crises. The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is endemic to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and is classified as Critically Endangered (IUCN, assessed 2017). Once reduced to fewer than 30 wild individuals in the early 2000s, intensive recovery efforts — including captive breeding and reintroduction — have helped push the wild population to a record 427 animals across more than 30 mountain colonies as of autumn 2025, the highest count ever recorded. Despite this milestone, conservationists stress that the species cannot yet sustain itself without ongoing management. The Mongolian or tarbagan marmot (Marmota sibirica) is assessed as Endangered (IUCN, 2016) after suffering an estimated 85% population collapse since the mid-1970s, driven by intensive commercial hunting for fur and meat. Across the genus, emerging threats include climate-driven habitat compression (suitable habitat shifting upslope as temperatures rise), drought-linked mass-mortality events during hibernation entry, and sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis), to which several marmot species serve as reservoir or sentinel hosts — a dynamic that intensifies with climate variability.

## What WARN does
WARN does not currently run field projects for marmots, as WARN's conservation partnerships are focused in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, and Colombia — countries outside the marmot's natural range. This guide is offered as free educational content, because public awareness of how animals respond to climate change and habitat loss matters everywhere. Understanding species like the marmot helps build the broader case for protecting mountain ecosystems globally.

Mountain ecosystems that marmots depend on are being compressed by rising temperatures, leaving less room for entire communities of alpine wildlife. Supporting WARN's habitat protection work helps keep wild places intact for species whose homes are shrinking from the top down.

## Frequently asked questions: Marmot
### Is a groundhog the same as a marmot?
Yes. The groundhog (Marmota monax), also called the woodchuck, is one of the 15 species in the marmot genus Marmota. It is unusual among marmots in preferring lowland, forested habitats rather than mountains or open steppe, but it shares all the hallmark marmot traits: burrowing lifestyle, deep hibernation, and herbivorous diet.

### How long do marmots hibernate?
Depending on species and elevation, marmots hibernate for approximately five to eight months each year, typically entering their sealed winter burrows in September or October and emerging in April or May. During this time they enter deep torpor, living entirely on fat reserves accumulated during the summer. Their heart rate can fall from around 100 beats per minute to as few as 4–9, depending on species and depth of torpor.

### Why do marmots whistle?
Marmots whistle to warn colony members of approaching predators. Research on alpine marmots has shown their calls are semantically meaningful: a single short whistle signals an aerial threat such as a golden eagle, while repeated multiple whistles warn of a ground predator such as a fox or wolf. Upon hearing an alarm call, the entire colony retreats underground within seconds.

### Are any marmot species endangered?
Yes. The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is Critically Endangered — it is one of the rarest mammals in the world, with a wild population of approximately 427 individuals as of autumn 2025. The Mongolian tarbagan marmot (Marmota sibirica) is classified as Endangered by the IUCN, having lost around 85% of its population since the 1970s due to hunting and trade.

### What do marmots eat?
Marmots are herbivores. They eat a wide variety of plant material including grasses, sedges, flowering herbs, berries, roots, mosses, and lichens. Feeding is most intense during summer, when they must accumulate enough fat reserves — roughly one-third of their body mass — to survive months of hibernation without eating or drinking.

### How does climate change affect marmots?
Climate change poses several interacting threats. Warmer temperatures push suitable alpine habitat further upslope, reducing the total area available to mountain-dwelling species. Summer droughts reduce plant productivity, making it harder for marmots — especially juveniles and breeding females — to gain enough weight before hibernation. Research also links drought conditions to increased susceptibility to plague (Yersinia pestis), to which several marmot species are important hosts.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Marmota marmota (Alpine Marmot), assessed 2016](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/510082)
- [IUCN Red List — Marmota vancouverensis (Vancouver Island Marmot), assessed 2017](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/22259184)
- [Britannica — Marmot](https://www.britannica.com/animal/marmot)
- [Wikipedia — Marmot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmot)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Marmota himalayana](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Marmota_himalayana/)
- [National Park Service — Marmot (Rocky Mountain)](https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/marmot.htm)
- [CBC News — Vancouver Island marmot population rebounds to 427](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/marmot-population-vancouver-island-rebounds-9.6998901)
- [Blumstein & Arnold (1992) — Alarm calling in Alpine marmot: evidence for semantic communication, Ethology Ecology & Evolution](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248910078_Alarm_calling_in_Alpine_marmot_Marmota_marmota_L_evidence_for_semantic_communication)
- [Pinho et al. (2022) — Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots, Nature Ecology & Evolution](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01679-1)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/marmot