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EXPLORE > ANIMALS > MAMMALS
Marmota flaviventris
The yellow-bellied marmot is a plump burrowing rodent found mostly in eastern Oregon. About the size of a domesticated cat, they have dappled reddish-grey fur along their backs and flanks, a yellowish-orange belly and a white spot between the eyes. They have small ears and a short white muzzle and black nose. Herbaceous plants, grasses, grains, legumes, fruit, and insects comprise their diet.
Like most rodents, marmots reproduce rapidly with females becoming sexually mature at about two years of age. Males will mate with several females simultaneously and an average litter size is four pups.
Marmots are a primarily food source for many predators, including coyotes, bobcats, red foxes, gray wolves, and golden eagles. Upon identifying a threat, marmots will produce a loud whistle as a warning to others and then scurry underground under the danger has passed. To help protect themselves from predators, they will often disguise their burrows by digging under rocks. Burrows may be as deep as 23 feet (7 m) and will be used for hibernating from approximately September to May. About 80% of the marmot's life is spent underground.
These animals may also be known as woodchucks, groundhogs or "whistle pigs".
Range and Habitat
The marmot is found mostly in the western United States and southwestern parts of Canada. The are common throughout large parts of the Pacific Northwest, extending east to Montana and south to northern New Mexico. As a burrowing animal, they prefer open areas which have little or no vegetation, in In Oregon, they are found mostly in the eastern half the of state, especially in deserts, uplands, mixed conifer-hardwood forests and sub-alpine meadows.
Conservation Status
Common.
Marmota flaviventris
The yellow-bellied marmot is a plump burrowing rodent found mostly in eastern Oregon. About the size of a domesticated cat, they have dappled reddish-grey fur along their backs and flanks, a yellowish-orange belly and a white spot between the eyes. They have small ears and a short white muzzle and black nose. Herbaceous plants, grasses, grains, legumes, fruit, and insects comprise their diet.
Like most rodents, marmots reproduce rapidly with females becoming sexually mature at about two years of age. Males will mate with several females simultaneously and an average litter size is four pups.
Marmots are a primarily food source for many predators, including coyotes, bobcats, red foxes, gray wolves, and golden eagles. Upon identifying a threat, marmots will produce a loud whistle as a warning to others and then scurry underground under the danger has passed. To help protect themselves from predators, they will often disguise their burrows by digging under rocks. Burrows may be as deep as 23 feet (7 m) and will be used for hibernating from approximately September to May. About 80% of the marmot's life is spent underground.
These animals may also be known as woodchucks, groundhogs or "whistle pigs".
Range and Habitat
The marmot is found mostly in the western United States and southwestern parts of Canada. The are common throughout large parts of the Pacific Northwest, extending east to Montana and south to northern New Mexico. As a burrowing animal, they prefer open areas which have little or no vegetation, in In Oregon, they are found mostly in the eastern half the of state, especially in deserts, uplands, mixed conifer-hardwood forests and sub-alpine meadows.
Conservation Status
Common.
