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Yellow Bellied Marmot

James Lemon

James Lemon

Well-known member
The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus.[2] It is one of fourteen species of marmots, and is native to mountainous and semi-arid regions of southwestern Canada and western United States, including the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and the Great Basin, often (but not exclusively) living above 2,000 metres (6,500 feet)[citation needed]. The fur is mainly brown, with a dark bushy tail, yellow chest and white patch between the eyes, and they weigh up to approximately 5 kilograms (11 pounds). They live in burrows in colonies of up to twenty individuals with a single dominant male. They are diurnal and feed on plant material, insects, and bird eggs. They hibernate for approximately eight months starting in September and lasting through the winter.
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Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Beautiful furry creature. Hibernation for 8 months is a pretty amazing evolutionary adaption for survival!

If it’s hard to find food, just hide out with your buddies until there’s plenty!

I wonder what regulates the length of that hibernation as it seem bordering on excessive! I’d there an allowance for migrating North or South when seasons might be altered?

Asher
 
James Lemon

James Lemon

Well-known member
Asher Kelman said:
Beautiful furry creature. Hibernation for 8 months is a pretty amazing evolutionary adaption for survival!

If it’s hard to find food, just hide out with your buddies until there’s plenty!

I wonder what regulates the length of that hibernation as it seem bordering on excessive! I’d there an allowance for migrating North or South when seasons might be altered?

Asher
Click to expand...
Good question Asher ? When hibernating yellow-bellied marmots emerge in spring, they are the same age, biologically speaking, as when they first curled up in their dens eight months ago. The new study, published last month in Nature Ecology and Evolution, could help scientists find the key to slowing the aging process in humans.

www.smithsonianmag.com

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Hibernation Could Unlock the Key to Longevity

The fluffy rodents stop aging when they curl up in their dens for winter and start again once they emerge in spring
www.smithsonianmag.com www.smithsonianmag.com
 
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