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Home/Species/ Hoary Marmot

Marmota caligata

(Eschscholtz, 1829)

Hoary Marmot

G5Secure Found in 69 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103513
Element CodeAMAFB03040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusMarmota
Other Common Names
hoary marmot (EN) Marmotte des Rocheuses (FR)
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Taxonomic Comments
Hall (1981) treated M. broweri as a subspecies of M. caligata, but stated that he was uncertain as to whether it was a subspecies or a species; he cited other sources in pointing out the unusually low chromosome number in M. broweri (2n = 36). Jones et al. (1992) and Hoffman et al. (in Wilson and Reeder 1993) and Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) recognized M. broweri and M. caligata as distinct species.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-04
Change Date1996-11-06
Range Extent Comments
Alaska to Yukon and Northwest Territories, south to northeastern Washington, central Idaho, western Montana.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Talus slopes and alpine or subalpine meadows. Young are born in underground burrows.

Reproduction

Gives birth to 4-5 young in late spring or early summer after gestation period of about 1 month (Whitaker 1980).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousAlpineBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
WashingtonS4Yes
IdahoS1Yes
MontanaS3Yes
AlaskaS4Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS5Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesSUYes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
Roadless Areas (69)
Alaska (24)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
Chugach-13Chugach National Forest13,337
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
Exit Glacier DonutChugach National Forest126
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
HyderTongass National Forest121,723
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
Montana (16)
AreaForestAcres
Allan Mountain (01946)Bitterroot National Forest104,184
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Bmss Ra 1485Flathead National Forest334,275
Deadhorse Ridge Ra 1128Flathead National Forest23,648
HoodooLolo National Forest105,162
Lolo CreekBitterroot National Forest581
Lolo CreekLolo National Forest14,335
Meadow Creek - Upper North ForkLolo National Forest6,906
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Sheep Mountain - StatelineLolo National Forest37,844
Silver KingBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest64,289
Stony MountainBitterroot National Forest44,057
Ten Lakes #683Kootenai National Forest48,545
Ward EagleLolo National Forest8,556
West Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest133,563
Washington (28)
AreaForestAcres
Alpine Lakes Adj.Wenatchee National Forest57,104
Black CanyonOkanogan National Forest9,681
Blue SlideWenatchee National Forest17,505
Boulder RiverMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest32,563
Canyon CreekWenatchee National Forest7,983
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Coal Creek BluffGifford Pinchot National Forest1,164
Devils GulchWenatchee National Forest24,419
Dixon MountainGifford Pinchot National Forest6,339
Glacier Peak BMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest19,328
Glacier Peak JMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest26,482
Glacier Peak KMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest47,269
Glacier Peak LMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest14,084
Goat Rocks AdjWenatchee National Forest6,108
Heather LakeWenatchee National Forest10,628
Liberty BellOkanogan National Forest108,495
Mt. Baker MaMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest24,847
Mt. Baker Noisy - DiobsudMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest56,039
Mt. Baker NorthMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest16,873
Mt. Baker WestMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest25,390
Nason RidgeWenatchee National Forest19,329
Norse PeakWenatchee National Forest10,169
PompeyGifford Pinchot National Forest23,985
Rock CreekWenatchee National Forest32,239
SawtoothOkanogan National Forest122,194
TeanawayWenatchee National Forest72,849
Thorp Mtn.Wenatchee National Forest22,717
Twin LakesWenatchee National Forest22,496
References (13)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2024. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). Online. Available: www.mammaldiversity.org
  2. Armitage, K. B. 1974. Male behavior and territoriality in the yellow-bellied marmot. Journal of Zoology, London 172:233-265.
  3. Barash, D. P. 1973a. Social variety in the yellow-bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>). Animal Behavior 21:570-84.
  4. Barash, D. P. 1989. Marmots: social behavior and ecology. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. xvii + 360 pp.
  5. Bryant, A. A. 1998. Metapopulation ecology of Vancouver Island marmots (<i>Marmota vancouverensis</i>). Ph.D. dissertation, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. 125 pp.
  6. Burt, W. H., and R. P. Grossenheider. 1976. A field guide to the mammals. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston. 289 pp.
  7. Hayes, S. R. 1977. Home range of <i>Marmota monax</i> (Sciuridae) in Arkansas. Southwestern Naturalist 22:547-50.
  8. Howell, A. H. 1915. Revision of the North American marmots. North American Fauna 37:1-80.
  9. Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.
  10. Lee, D. S., and J. B. Funderburg. 1982. Marmots. Marmota monax and allies. Pages 176-191 in Chapman, J. A., and G. A. Feldhamer, editors. Wild mammals of North America. Biology, management, economics. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press.
  11. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 745 pp.
  12. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
  13. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]