Impression Evergreen: April 2013

Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Yellow-bellied marmots inhabit the high mountains of Colorado. Living in burrows dug underneath rocky outcrops, they seem to prefer to make their homes in the most spectacular of alpine settings. Also known as the rockchuck, they are the most gregarious animals on the tundra. Warm days are spent sunning, feeding, playing and napping. The marmot is sometimes called a whistle pig because at the first sign of danger it will use loud whistles to sound an alarm. They make varying calls, with each one carrying a different meaning, from the degree of threat to specifying if a predator is approaching by land or air. Yellow-bellies spend most of their life in a deep sleep from October until May. As a result, they eat with a purpose during the summer because a well-fattened marmot has the best chance of surviving through the long winter.

When they come in contact with humans, they’re not shy at all. In fact, they’re begging machines. Some people think giving them handouts will help but it actually jeopardizes their health. If they eat grasses, flowers and bugs like they’re supposed to, they accumulate brown fat which burns more slowly, metabolizes efficiently, and creates more energy. If they eat sandwiches, Doritos and other processed foods, they build up lots of yellow fat but it burns too quickly which puts them at greater risk of starving to death during hibernation. If you happen to share your lunch with a marmot just remember, your not helping them, your hurting them.