Fifteen species of large ground squirrels, the heaviest members of the squirrel family, from Asia, Europe and North America. They live in groups in summer and whistle loudly when alarmed, then spend the winter hibernating in burrows.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?Yes
Marmots are the largest true hibernators, sleeping through the winter in their burrows.
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Alpine marmots were once widely hunted for food.
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, North America
HabitatMountains, Grassland
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeSmall
Length42–72 cm (total length)
WeightAbout 2 kg in spring to 8 kg in autumn, sometimes over 11 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives incolonies
Lives for13–15 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Mountains such as the Alps, Carpathians and Sierra Nevada, and rough grassland across North America and the Eurasian steppe.
- What it eats
- Greens and grasses, plus berries, lichens, mosses, roots and flowers.
Did you know
Hibernates for up to nine months with its heart down to five beats a minute.
Alpine marmots can spend up to nine months a year hibernating.
Swiss Alpine peasants once ate marmots.
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