Marmota caligata

252.

Hoary Marmot

Marmota caligata

French: Marmotte des Rocheuses / German: Eisgraues Murmeltier / Spanish: Marmota canosa

Taxonomy. Arctomys caligatus Eschscholtz, 1829,

“im nordlichsten Theile der West-

kuiste Amerika’s, haufig an der Bristolbai

[= northern areas of the west coast of

America, frequently on Bristol Bay].” Restricted by J. A. Allen in 1877 to near Bristol Bay, Alaska, USA.

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M. c¢. caligata Eschscholtz, 1829 — Alaska and W Yukon (Canada).

M.c.cascadensisA.H.Howell,1914—SWBritishColumbia(Canada)andWWashington(USA).

M. c. okanagana King, 1836 — S Yukon, W Northwest Territories, E British Columbia, W Alberta (Canada) to NE Idaho and W Montana (USA).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 450-600 mm, tail 170-250 mm; weight 3.6-9 kg. The Hoary Marmot has light-colored pale cream to white anterior dorsal pelage and yellow to tan posterior dorsum, rump, and tail. Head is cream to buff, with dark brown to black on snout, crown, and chin. Feet are often dark brown to black. Venteris pale cream to white. Subspecies okanagana is pale; cascadensis has dark feet and venter.

Habitat. Open rocky talus slopes and alpine tundra naturally fragmented and disjunct.

Food and Feeding. The Hoary Marmot is an herbivore that feeds primarily on young grasses, shoots of forbs, bulbs, and other herbaceous material growing in open alpine meadows.

Breeding. The Hoary Marmot lives in multi-burrow colonies and appears to mate in burrows or soon after spring emergence. Every two years, females give birth to litters of 4-5 young.

Activity patterns. Hoary Marmots are diurnal. They are only active for 4-5 months each summer and hibernate in burrows for the remaining 7-8 months ofthe year. It hibernates as family groups beginning in September—October.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows are relatively complex with multiple entrances and extend up to 3 m underground. Hoary Marmots overwinter in communal groups and are highly social. They typically live in family groups of dominant male, adult female (s), yearlings, young-of-the-year, and subordinate males that live on periphery of dominant male’s home range. Dominant females suppress reproductive activity of other females in colonies. Monogamy and polygyny can occur in a single colony, suggesting facultative mating system. Communication occurs by scent marking and vocalizations. High-pitched vocalizations convey risk of predation and also differ for terrestrial and aerial predators. Alarm call is a relatively simple, high-pitched whistle.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Hoary Marmot is stable. Historically, it was hunted for food and pelts, rarely today. Widespread distribution suggests little need for conservation concern.

Bibliography. Allen (1877b), Armitage (2014), Barash (1989), Blumstein (1999), Kyle et al. (2007), Patil et al. (2015), Thorington et al. (2012).