Marmota himalayana 279M. f. luteola—southcentral Rocky Mountains, from southern
Wyoming to New Mexico (USA). This form resembles
M. f. nosophora, but M. f. luteola has a whitish mantle on
the upper back and yellowish underparts.
M. f. nosophora—throughout the northeastern portion of
the range and south to northern Utah. This form has a
golden buff mantle on the upper back; the general color
is more ochraceous dorsally and redder ventrally.
M. f. notioros—known only from a single specimen in south-
central Colorado (USA). This form is larger and darker
than the others. While similar to M. f. obscura, M. f. no-
tioros is a darker reddish brown dorsally and a more chest-
nut brown ventrally.
M. f. obscura—northcentral New Mexico (USA). Dorsally,
this form is dark brown with whitish grizzling. The face
does not show the typical white markings of the other
subspecies.
M. f. parvula—central Nevada (USA). This form is smaller
and darker than M. f. avara.
M. f. sierrae—southern Sierra Nevada, California (USA). The
general color is similar to M. f. fl aviventris, but M. f. sierrae
is redder, and the mantle is reduced or absent.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.
habitat: M. fl aviventris is found in mountains on grass- and
forb-dominated meadows with loose talus, in fl at grassy in-
land valleys, and on the edges of irrigated hayfi elds.
natural history: Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal.
They hibernate as individuals in separate burrows for ex-
tended periods (often for seven to eight months, depending
on the elevation.) Burrow systems are modestly complex;
frequently there are several entrances leading to a terminal
nest chamber 1–2 m belowground. Conspicuous trails often
connect the burrow entrances. Escape burrows that provide
only short-term cover are less complex, with just a single
entrance and a short length. Males emerge before females
and will tunnel down through the snow to mate with fe-
males ending hibernation; male testes regress in size just
two weeks after emergence. Gestation is about 30 days, after
which a litter of four to fi ve young is produced. Adult fe-
males rarely reproduce in successive years.
The social system consists of one or more female kin
groups within the territory of a male; the mating system is
polygynous. Juveniles overwinter in the natal area; males
and many females disperse as yearlings. Mothers and
daughters often form matrilines when some females re-
main in their natal area, and these lineages can persist over
several generations. Behaviors are predominantly amicable
between social-group members, whereas nongroup mem-
bers are aggressively chased. The survival of juveniles can
be highly variable, ranging from 15 to 90 percent; whereas
annual adult survival typically ranges from 65 to 80 per-
cent. Female survival is greater than that of males; maxi-
mum longevity in the wild exceeds 14 years for females and
8 years for males. The majority of the losses occur during
hibernation. Their principal predators are canids, muste-
lids, bears, and large raptors. Individuals can often be seen
in open meadows foraging for grasses, forbs, fl owers, and
sedges during early- to midmorning and midafternoon. Com-
munication is most often visual and auditory, but yellow-
bellied marmots also make scent-marks on structures and
burrows. Moderately complex calls are produced by ani-
mals surveying their surroundings while standing on their
haunches. “Chirps” are by far the most common calls, and
they become more frequent both as the perceived risk in-
creases and with some ground predators (such as canids).
Yellow-bellied marmots are rarely hunted for food or
pelts; they can be viewed as pests when found near or-
chards or crops.general references: Anthony 1928; Armitage 1991; Ar-
mitage and Schwartz 2000; Frase and Hoff mann 1980; O. A.
Schwartz et al. 1998.Marmota himalayana (Hodgson, 1841)
Himalayan Marmotdescription: Himalayan marmots are generally light in
coloration, with a cream to buff to yellow dorsum that often
has varying patches of charcoal to black. The venter is buff
to tan to light brown. The snout is often dark brown to
Marmota flaviventris. Photo courtesy Nichole Cudworth. black, and sometimes the coloration extends to the fore-