Yellow-Bellied Marmot
Last Review/Updated: May 31, 2002
Marmota flaviventris
The yellow-bellied marmot is similar in size to the woodchuck. The fur of the upperparts is grizzled buff-brown in color, and the underparts are brownish-yellow. The bushy tail is grizzled brown.
Yellow-bellied marmots are more colonial than woodchucks. Many family groups may live together in their rocky habitat. Burrows are located well within the talus with the older more dominant adults occupying burrows near the centre of the colony.
Mating occurs after emergence from hibernation in April. Litters of 4 to 5 young are born in May. These marmots enter hibernation in mid-August. Yellow-bellied marmots eat green vegetation that grows on or near their rock habitat. In Alberta, they live at low elevations in talus slopes on mountain sides, and in rock piles under cliffs. They are sparsely distributed in the montane, foothill and prairie life zones in extreme southern Alberta.
