This past summer, this hoary marmot was observed chowing down on alpine wildflowers like there was no tomorrow. It took a break to pose for this photo along the Siyeh Pass trail with Mt. Siyeh as the backdrop.
Hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) spend 7-8 months of the year hibernating. With such a short active season, it’s no wonder they spend most of the time they’re awake desperately consuming vegetation to build up their fat reserves. By late September, marmots have curled up in their burrows for the winter. Their body temperature drops to 36 degrees Fahrenheit, respiration slows to one breath every five minutes, and their heart rate is only five beats per minute.
Hoary marmots are also known as “whistlers” or “whistle pigs” due to the loud, shrill, repetitive whistle they emit at the slightest possibility of danger. Birds of prey, grizzly bears, wolverines, or mountain lions may prey on marmots.
In Glacier, marmots are most often seen during July and August in boulder fields and talus slopes. One may observe them sunbathing on rocks along the Highline Trail or, as in the photo above, eating wildflowers at Siyeh Pass. (ah)
NPS Photo/Anya Helsel
[Image description: A hoary marmot in a field of alpine wildflowers stands next to a rocky trail with a mountain in the distance.]
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