Hoary Marmot
Photo © Karen Szafrajda
Photo © Karen Szafrajda — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist photo #418702856The hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover. It is the largest North American ground squirrel and is often nicknamed "the whistler" for its high-pitched warning issued to alert other members of the colony to possible danger. The animals are sometimes called "whistle pigs". Whistler, British Columbia, originally London Mountain because of its heavy fogs and rain, was renamed after these animals to help make it more marketable as a resort. The closest relatives of the species are the yellow-bellied, Olympic, and Vancouver Island marmots, although the exact relationships are unclear. == Description == The hoary marmot is a large, bulky, ground squirrel, with short, heavy limbs, and a broad head. Adults range from 62 to 82 cm (24 to 32 in) in total length, including a 17 to 25 cm (6.7 to 9.8 in) tail. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being significantly larger than females in most subspecies. Because of their long winter hibernation, during which they survive on fat reserves, the weight of the animals varies…
Glacier National Park
Glacier, Canada
+162 birds+12 mammals
Where granite peaks pierce the clouds above the Columbia River valley, Glacier National Park protects one of the most dramatic mountain wilderness areas in western Canada.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKootenay National Park
Area G (Forster Creek/Mount Assiniboine), Canada
+181 birds+23 mammals
Where the spine of the Canadian Rockies rises above 3,000 metres, the high alpine realm around Forster Creek and Mount Assiniboine reveals one of the continent's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMount Revelstoke National Park
Area B (Shelter Bay/Mica Creek), Canada
+155 birds+8 mammals
Where the Columbia River carves through the western ranges of British Columbia, Shelter Bay and Mica Creek mark the entrance to a wilderness where subalpine meadows…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBanff National Park
Improvement District No. 9, Canada
+264 birds+33 mammals
Where the Canadian Rockies thrust skyward in a cathedral of limestone and ice, Banff National Park preserves a wilderness of astounding vertical drama. Glacier-carved valleys cradle…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKJasper National Park
Improvement District No. 12, Canada
+235 birds+34 mammals
Where the Canadian Rockies rise in dramatic succession across western Alberta, Jasper National Park spans over 11,000 square kilometres of subalpine and alpine terrain, glaciated valleys,…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Peninsula Borough, United States
+164 birds+19 mammals
Granite peaks and tidewater glaciers dominate Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, where nearly 7,900 square kilometers of pristine coastal wilderness descend from the Harding Icefield toward the Gulf…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGlacier Bay National Park
Unorganized Borough, United States
+221 birds+15 mammals
Tidewater glaciers calving into fjords of impossible blue, where temperate rainforest rises steeply from the water's edge and alpine peaks pierce the clouds—this is the ecological…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDenali National Park
Denali Borough, United States
+144 birds+18 mammals
Across nearly 31,000 square kilometres of interior Alaska, subarctic boreal forest gives way to alpine tundra, where the raw architecture of mountains—including the continent's tallest peak—shapes…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMount Rainier National Park
Pierce County, United States
+187 birds+25 mammals
A volcanic colossus dominates the Cascade Range in western Washington, its 4,392-meter summit crowned year-round with glacial ice that cascades down toward temperate rainforest and subalpine…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWrangell-Saint Elias National Park
Unorganized Borough, United States
+155 birds+13 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust above 5,400 metres and vast fields of glacial ice dominate the landscape, Wrangell-Saint Elias encompasses one of North America's most extreme wilderness…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWaterton Lakes National Park
Improvement District No. 04, Canada
+252 birds+31 mammals
Where the Continental Divide plunges toward the prairies of Alberta, glacier-carved valleys and emerald lakes pierce a landscape where montane forest meets alpine tundra. Waterton Lakes…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKYoho National Park
Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake), Canada
+207 birds+19 mammals
Where the Canadian Rockies meet the Columbia River watershed, a vast wilderness of 2,211 square kilometres unfolds across Yoho National Park in British Columbia. The landscape…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKluane National Park and Reserve
Canada
+171 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust through boreal forest to touch the sky, Kluane National Park and Reserve sprawls across southwestern Yukon as one of North America's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTombstone Territorial Park
Dawson City, Canada
+150 birds+17 mammals
Where granite peaks pierce the Yukon sky and tundra stretches endlessly toward the Arctic horizon, the Tombstone Range commands attention with uncompromising beauty. This subarctic wilderness…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEGlacier National Park
United States
+246 birds+39 mammals
Where jagged peaks pierce a subarctic sky and glacial valleys carve through ancient rock, Glacier National Park spans the spine of the Northern Rockies along Montana's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNorth Cascades National Park
Whatcom County, United States
+120 birds+18 mammals
Jagged peaks rise abruptly from the western foothills of Washington's Cascade Range, where glaciers cling to elevations above 10,000 feet and meltwater feeds a landscape of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAlaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Alaska, United States
+391 birds+58 mammals
Where the North Pacific collides with Alaska's rugged coastline, a sprawling archipelago of islands, rocky outcrops, and coastal headlands forms one of North America's most remote…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.