Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Mountains and high places

Marmot

Marmota marmota

Six months of sleep under snow

An alpine marmot standing upright in front of its burrow, the position used to sound an alarm call.
An alpine marmot standing upright in front of its burrow, the position used to sound an alarm call.
  • Status: Safe
  • High altitude grasslands in the Alps, usually between 6,500 and 10,000 feet

Numbers

Weight
11 lbfrom 8 lb in spring to 14 lb in late summer; Wikidata lists no value
Length
24 inincluding tail; source material states tail is 4 inches then about 6 inches
Lifespan
15 yearsfrom 13 to 15 years in the wild
Audible alarm
0,6 mistraight line distance in an open environment
Hibernation temperature
4 degreesdrops from normal 38 degrees to between 7 and 4 degrees
Burrow depth
30 fttunnels of main burrow dug with front claws

Ten fun facts

  1. during hibernation its body temperature drops from the normal thirty-eight degrees to as low as four degrees.

  2. during hibernation it breathes only two or three times a minute while its heart beats fewer than forty times.

  3. its front teeth have no roots and grow continuously, so the animal wears them down by chewing every day.

  4. the whiskers on its snout are two to three inches long and help it feel everything it touches.

  5. it has glands between its snout and eye that produce a scent used to mark territory and identify family.

  6. the tunnels of its main burrow can extend as deep as thirty feet below the surface of the ground.

  7. its alarm signal is not a whistle but a throat call made with open mouth, heard half a mile away.

  8. a single sound signals danger from above, while a series of sounds warns of danger approaching from the side.

  9. it never drinks from streams because it gets all the water it needs from grass and morning dew.

  10. it was reintroduced to the Pyrenees and Apennines because it is a key food source for golden eagles.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

How long does alpine marmot hibernation last?

Question 2 of 5

How low does its body temperature drop during hibernation?

Question 3 of 5

What is the marmot's whistle really?

Question 4 of 5

What does a single whistle mean?

Question 5 of 5

Why do marmots wake up several times during hibernation?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Count your breaths for one minute, then compare that number with the two or three breaths a marmot takes each minute during hibernation.

Experiment 2

Measure thirty feet along a hallway or in your yard to see how deep the tunnels of a marmot burrow can reach underground.

Experiment 3

Try whistling once and then three times in a row, because in the language of the marmot you are warning of two different dangers.

Data from Wikidata (Q285884) and Wikipedia (Alpine marmot).