Yellow-bellied marmot
A chubby, whistling ground squirrel that suns itself on high-country rocks at Rocky Mountain and Yosemite, and sleeps away most of the year.
Yellow-bellied marmot at a glance
Marmota flaviventris Yellow-bellied marmot; Marmota flaviventris is mar-MOH-tuh flav-ih-VEN-triss
- Type
- Mammal · rodent
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Size
- About as long as your arm and about as heavy as a chubby house cat (up to 2 feet long and up to 11 pounds). It is the largest member of the squirrel family.
- Lifespan
- Around 10 to 15 years in the wild.
- Conservation
- Least concern
Eats grasses, leaves, flowers, seeds
Marmots munch grasses, leaves, flowers, and seeds all summer. They eat a lot to build up fat, because that fat has to feed them through more than half a year of hibernation.
Should you worry?
Marmots are not dangerous, but they are wild and can bite if you corner or try to grab one. Watch from a few steps back and never feed them. At some trailheads marmots even chew on car hoses and wires for the salt, so parking away from rock piles helps.
The first sign of a marmot is usually the whistle. A single sharp note cuts across the high-country rocks, and it means something with wings or teeth (a hawk, a coyote, maybe just you) has gotten too close, and every marmot in earshot has just been warned. Early settlers heard that whistle so often they nicknamed the animal the whistle pig.
Up close a marmot is a surprise: the biggest member of the squirrel family, about as long as your arm and as heavy as a well-fed house cat, sprawled belly-down on a warm rock in the sun. That sunbathing is work. All summer the marmot eats grass and flowers and seeds as fast as it can, laying down the fat it will live on later.
Later is most of the year. When fall comes the marmot goes down into its burrow, curls up, and hibernates, for more than half of its entire life, not climbing back out until the snow softens in April or May. About the only trouble it causes people is at the trailhead, where a marmot may chew on car hoses and wires for the salty taste, which is a good reason to park a little away from the rocks.
Did you know?
- A marmot spends more than half of its whole life asleep. It hibernates in a burrow from fall until spring, usually coming out in April or May, living off the fat it stored all summer.
- Marmots are the biggest members of the squirrel family. A grown one can be two feet long and weigh up to 11 pounds, which is why the cold, high mountains suit its round body.
- Early settlers called marmots whistle pigs because of the loud, sharp whistle they blast to warn the others when a hawk, coyote, or hiker gets too close.
Common questions
What is that loud whistle in the rocks?
It is probably a marmot. People nicknamed them whistle pigs because they whistle sharply to warn each other that something dangerous is close.
How long do marmots sleep?
A long time. They hibernate for over half the year, curling up in a burrow in fall and not coming out until spring.
Are marmots dangerous to kids?
No, but they are wild. Don't try to catch or feed one, because a cornered marmot can bite. Just watch from a step or two back.
What do marmots eat?
Grasses, leaves, flowers, and seeds. They eat a lot in summer to get fat enough to survive the winter asleep.