Meet the Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
by Trish Nevan
In Central Oregon, one of the surest signs of spring’s arrival is hearing the sharp warning whistle of the yellow-bellied marmot. Emerging from hibernation in late February and early March, marmots, also called rockchucks or whistle-pigs, leave their underground dens and start nibbling away at succulent vegetation, insects and bird eggs.
Yellow-bellied marmots are are the largest member of the squirrel family in Oregon, and can weigh up to 11 pounds. They are also fairly long-lived, averaging a lifespan of 13-15 years.
With their stubby legs, furry, plump bodies with golden-yellow underside, and short, bushy tails these ground squirrels are easy to identify. Colonies of up to 20 marmots are often found in burrows near piles of rocks and boulders. They spend about 80 percent of their lives underground, and over half of the time hibernating. When they emerge in early spring, male marmots seek out two or three females to mate with, each producing up to five pups. They also become eating machines because they need to double their mass in preparation for their upcoming winter hibernation.
Marmots are well-equipped to dig. During summer months they will construct multiple burrows about three feet deep for daily use. Winter hibernation burrows, however, can be over 20 feet underground.
Marmots are hyper-alert to predators, such as coyotes and raptors, and communicate danger to other marmots with their warning whistle alarm calls. While they may look sluggish when munching on vegetation, they can move surprisingly quickly and disappear into a hole or pile of rocks when danger is perceived.
One of the best places locally to observe rockchucks is around Canyon Village at Crooked River Ranch. In spring and summer, dozens can easily be spotted eating grass and standing guard near rocky areas. But then one day, around the beginning of August, they suddenly disappear. The yellow-bellied marmots are back in their underground burrows, hibernating through the long winter.
by Trish Nevan
In Central Oregon, one of the surest signs of spring’s arrival is hearing the sharp warning whistle of the yellow-bellied marmot. Emerging from hibernation in late February and early March, marmots, also called rockchucks or whistle-pigs, leave their underground dens and start nibbling away at succulent vegetation, insects and bird eggs.
Yellow-bellied marmots are are the largest member of the squirrel family in Oregon, and can weigh up to 11 pounds. They are also fairly long-lived, averaging a lifespan of 13-15 years.
With their stubby legs, furry, plump bodies with golden-yellow underside, and short, bushy tails these ground squirrels are easy to identify. Colonies of up to 20 marmots are often found in burrows near piles of rocks and boulders. They spend about 80 percent of their lives underground, and over half of the time hibernating. When they emerge in early spring, male marmots seek out two or three females to mate with, each producing up to five pups. They also become eating machines because they need to double their mass in preparation for their upcoming winter hibernation.
Marmots are well-equipped to dig. During summer months they will construct multiple burrows about three feet deep for daily use. Winter hibernation burrows, however, can be over 20 feet underground.
Marmots are hyper-alert to predators, such as coyotes and raptors, and communicate danger to other marmots with their warning whistle alarm calls. While they may look sluggish when munching on vegetation, they can move surprisingly quickly and disappear into a hole or pile of rocks when danger is perceived.
One of the best places locally to observe rockchucks is around Canyon Village at Crooked River Ranch. In spring and summer, dozens can easily be spotted eating grass and standing guard near rocky areas. But then one day, around the beginning of August, they suddenly disappear. The yellow-bellied marmots are back in their underground burrows, hibernating through the long winter.
