Long-tailed Marmot

About this species

Size

Head and body 37–80cm; tail 16–28cm

Weight

Typically 1.5–7.3kg; up to 9kg

Habitat

Open or lightly wooded mountain country, often among rocks with dwarf junipers

Range

Afghanistan, Central Asia, northern Pakistan, north-western India and western China

The long-tailed or golden marmot is a large, sturdy rodent weighing typically 1.5–7.3 kg, up to 9 kg, with the lowest weights in spring just after hibernation and the highest in autumn, when more than a quarter of its mass can be fat. Head and body length is 37–80 cm, and the tail, at 16–28 cm, is 37–55% of head and body length, far longer than in most marmots. The eyes sit close to the top of a rather flattened head, the ears are small and the neck short (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives in the mountains of Central Asia, including the north-western Himalaya, in open or lightly wooded habitats, often among rocks where dwarf junipers grow. It is usually monogamous but lives in larger groups of up to seven related adults sharing one home range, and normally only one adult female breeds each season. Home ranges average about three hectares with about three burrow systems. It hibernates, and young adults normally leave only after they are fully grown at three or more years (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)