Yellow-Bellied Marmot - Sierra Club BC
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Yellow-Bellied Marmot

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Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Marmota flaviventris 

Appearance

This marmot has a yellowy-brown back with light tips on all the hairs. Its feet and legs are dark brown, and there are white-grey patches across its head and nose. It has short, little round ears and a dark brown tail. The belly is a reddish-yellow colour. It has sharp front teeth and claws, and can grow to about 60 cm long. 

Range & Habitat

They are found from southern central B.C. to California and New Mexico. They always live around large rocks, and sometimes near grasslands and valley bottoms. 

Reciprocal relationships

Marmots create rock burrows in the ground that they use to keep themselves cool during the day and to provide protection from predators.  Creating these burrows and mounds can help make shelter for other species in the system. Marmots eat lots of green plants and will sometimes eat dead animals. Marmots are a source of food for many small mammals and raptors. They have a loud whistling chirp that they'll use if alarmed, and sit on their hind legs, showing their yellow belly. 

Three to eight young are born in June in the mother’s burrow, because each adult marmot has a separate den. All the marmot dens are usually in a similar area, and the marmots living there are called a colony. Marmots hibernate in the winter, and marmots who can’t find good winter dens won’t make it through the cold.

status

COSEWIC: Not Reported 
CDC: Yellow 

more information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.   

photo credit

Canva

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