Stats

Lifespan: 11-15 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Burrowing
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Common

About

A stocky, ground-dwelling squirrel of western North American mountains that spends up to 80% of its life hibernating, waking each spring with a sharp, whistled alarm call that warns its colony of predators.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Marmota
Species: Marmota flaviventris