Himalayan Marmot

About this species

Size

Total length 45–67cm; tail 12–15cm

Weight

4–9.2kg

Diet

Pasture plants, including sedges, grasses and flowering herbs

Habitat

Alpine grasslands; deep colony burrows

Range

Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau

Litter size

2–11 young

Gestation

About one month

The Himalayan marmot is one of the largest marmots, about the size of a large house cat, weighing 4–9.2 kg and 45–67 cm long with a 12–15 cm tail. The fur is dense and woolly, rufous grey on the back and rufous yellowish on the ears, belly and limbs, with a dark brown nose bridge and tail tip. Weight is lowest after hibernation in spring and highest before it in autumn, at more than 7 kg on average (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits alpine grasslands throughout the Himalaya and on the Tibetan Plateau. It lives in colonies and digs deep burrows, 2–10 m deep, that colony members share during hibernation, which lasts from late autumn to early spring, about 7½ months on average. It eats plants growing on pastures, especially the soft parts of sedges and grasses and flowering herbs. After a month's gestation a female bears two to 11 young (Wikipedia, general species account).

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