Marmots belong to the family of typical squirrels. Marmots are the largest representative of this family. They have heavy build, short legs, and short tail. The weight of marmots is about 7-17 pounds, but before going into hibernation their weight can reach 22 pounds.
Marmots are terrestrial animals. They live in burrows. They live in family colonies. In summer they burrow holes 77 yards in length and 1-3 yards in depth. They have 1 nidicolous cell and 3-7 outputs. In winter they stop up outputs with earthy plugs. The earth that marmots throw out hole forms marmot’s burrow. Diameter of marmot’s burrow is 27 yards and height is 1.6 yards. They can support their burrow for hundreds years if not to disturb them. They are active during the day. They move with small
steps, very often get up in a column and look around. Marmots have a developed voice signaling, the alarm signal is a twee. They go into hibernation with all family in one burrow. Essentially they eat plants. Duration of life is about 10 years.
Species which we can find in Kamchatka in mountain tundra is called black-capped marmot. The length of it is about 1.7 feet; the length of the tail is about 0.4 feet. It has short legs and long whiskers. Hair is long, thick and soft. Dark color dominates in marking of the tail and top, the top of the hair is black or dark-brown. The sides are light, straw-colored; belly is bright colored, reddish or ochreous. You can see rusty tones on the back of marmot. Its head is black or dark-brown. Cheeks and sites of attaching of whiskers are bright colored, ears are bright reddish. There are darkening under the eyes. There is a black edging around the mouth. The tail at the bottom is dark.
This animal dwells on flanks of hills and ravines, on grassy plots of second growth mountain forest. Their settlements are mosaic. The area where marmots can get food is about 80 hectare. Their family usually consists of 8-9 animals. Marmot burrows wintering hole till the layer of permafrost. Nidicolous cell is warmed with grass. Before wintering the layer of pit-run fines is heaped up above the wintering cell and the main channel. Its thickness is about 0.8 feet. Entering holes become cluttered with long earthy and grassy plugs. Interstices in stones and rocks can also be a provisional asylum for black-capped marmot. These animals go into hibernation in September – October 20-30 specimen in a burrow (2-3 families) and wake up in may. They eat plants: flowers, caules and seed and also invertebrate. Marmots prefer eating plants that belong to the gramineous and sedge family. Rut ends before marmots go out of their burrows. Reproduction period lasts from May till July. Marmots have 1 brood per annum. There are from 3 to 11 youngs in a brood. Sexual puberty comes on the 3rd year of life.
The number of black-capped marmot is low. Marmot is an object of fur trade from time immemorial. Meat and marmot’s fat is used in medicine as remedy from cold. Subspecies of Lake Baikal now refers to the protected animals because of low number.
Marmots in Kamchatka dwell in mountain tundra and sub alpine landscape, so its area of distribution replicates the topography of mountain chains that are not lower than 874-984 yards above sea level. But on east sea-coast colonies of marmots settle on steeps of sea terraces that are 65-76 yards in height. The period of hibernation of black-capped marmot in Kamchatka is about 7-8 months. Marmot has a sound sleep in comparison with brown bear. Not without reason there is an expression: “…is sleeping like a marmot”.
The period of going out is different; it depends on weather conditions and thickness of snow cover. Pregnancy lasts 30-40 days. Kamchatka subspecies of marmots usually has not more than 6 young marmots. The population decreases. Scientists single out 2 parts of areal. They are: the Koryak upland and the east of Kamchatka peninsula from the Sea-lion cap to 60th parallel. Marmots on this area are locally destroyed.