About Marmota marmota (Linnaeus, 1758)
The scientific name of the alpine marmot is Marmota marmota (Linnaeus, 1758). An adult alpine marmot has a head-and-body length between 43 and 73 cm (17–29 in), and a tail length between 13 and 20 cm (5–8 in). Its body mass ranges from 1.9 to 8 kg (4.2–17.6 lb). Individuals are significantly lighter in spring immediately after hibernation than they are in autumn just before hibernation. The alpine marmot is sometimes considered the heaviest squirrel species. However, several other marmot species have a similar weight range, so it is unclear which species is actually the largest. Its coat is made up of a mixture of blonde, reddish, and dark gray fur. Most of the alpine marmot's fingers have claws, but its thumbs have nails. As its common name suggests, the alpine marmot’s native range covers the European Alps, across alpine areas of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Austria. It has also been introduced to other locations, with established subpopulations in the Pyrenees, France’s Massif Central, the Jura, the Vosges, the Black Forest, the Apennine Mountains, and the Romanian Carpathians. The Tatra marmot, Marmota marmota latirostris Kratochvíl, 1961, is an endemic subspecies of alpine marmot that originated during the Quaternary period. Tatra marmots live in the Tatry Mountains and Nízke Tatry Mountains. Alpine marmots have an abundant core population; for example, the population in the Romanian Carpathians is estimated at 1,500 individuals. Alpine marmots prefer alpine meadows and high-altitude pastures, where colonies live in deep burrow systems located in alluvial soil or rocky areas. Alpine marmots are often observed resting on flat rocks in behavior commonly mistaken for sun bathing; this behavior is actually thought to be cooling, and may also help the marmots deal with parasites. The species is temperature sensitive, and rising temperatures can lead to overall habitat loss for alpine marmots.
