Hoary Marmot, he 'whistles' while he works

Another Boundary County wildlife inhabitant is the Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata). Known to live in mountainous areas high up in the alpine, marmots look a lot like a giant squirrel. Ironically, the marmot is widely referred to as “whistlers” because of their characteristic loud warning whistling. These critters are extremely social and also use whistles to communicate with one another. The marmots hibernate in the winter, so the best time to spot them is in the spring and summer time.

The hoary marmot has thick, silvery-gray fur on its head, shoulders and half of its back. It has reddish-brown fur on the other half of its back, its rump and on its long bushy tail. It has black feet, a white patch of fur between its small, round eyes and white fur around its nose and mouth. It has small ears and long, curved claws on both its front and hind paws.

The hoary “Whistling” marmot can be found in Alaska south to Washington, northern Oregon and most of Montana and parts of Idaho including Boundary County.

The hoary marmot eats a variety of grasses, berries, lichens, mosses, flowers, green plants and seeds. It often eats snow to get the water it needs. The “Whistler” puts on a layer of fat in the fall before it hibernates. In the southern parts of its range, it hibernates from October through February. In the northern part of its range, it hibernates from September through April. The marmot is very territorial and will chase other marmots from its feeding range.

The marmots mate shortly after they come out of hibernation. They mate in their burrows. A month after mating, the female will give birth to two to four babies. The babies spend their first month in a burrow underground. They will be fully weaned about two weeks after they come out of the burrow. The young will stay with their mother for their first two years.

Where there is plenty of food, hoary marmots live in colonies made up of a dominant male, a few breeding females and their young and a few subordinate males. Only the dominant male will mate with the females in the colony.

If there is limited food, hoary marmots may live in groups of one adult male and female and their young. Hoary marmots often wrestle with each other for hours. They will stand on their hind legs and put their front paws together and push at each other.

The hoary marmot gets its name from its silvery-white fur. The word hoary means something that is gray or white, as if with age.

Thanks to Steve Jamsa for providing this exceptional image of a Hoary “Whistling” marmot in Boundary County.