Wildlife and Photography

The Adorable Yellow-bellied Marmots of the Mountain States

Sometimes, seemingly humbles animals demands the most attention

Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius. — E. O. Wilson

The yellow-bellied marmot is a large ground squirrel. These rodents inhabit the mountains of the western United States and southwestern Canada.

These cute and chunky marmots can weigh up to 11 pounds. They can grow to 27 inches long.

Yellow-bellied marmots feature thick brown and rust-colored fur. They have a white patch between their eyes, and a white coat covers their snout.

Yellow-bellied marmots are omnivores. They munch on a wide variety of vegetation. They also eat bird eggs and insects.

Marmots are cool-climate animals. They thrive at elevations above 6,500 feet.

Hibernating for eight months each year, marmots spend up to 80 percent of their lives in their burrows. Fortunate for hikers and motorists, they like to lay on rocks and forage out in the open during the warmer months.

Yellow-bellied marmots live in groups of up to twenty animals. A single male dominates the group.

Most people are impressed at the sight of large mammals, such as elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and bears. But adorable yellow-bellied marmots always please my eye.

“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.” — John Muir