One of our favorite things about living in the mountains in Colorado is seeing the little Yellow-bellied Marmots each day. They seem to wake up well after the sun is up and then just love to bask in the sun for a few hours, lazily lying on a rock. Occasionally we can hear their chirping call which is a signal to “beware of danger.” We have a large rock outside of our bedroom window where they love to lie in the sun and also to “stand at attention” and look at us. Occasionally we can hear a little chirp to their buddies nearby. In the late afternoons after they emerge from their burrows, we frequently see them on the hill in our front yard, devouring our newly planted yellow flowers, smiling at us. And then the question arises…should we shush them away or just let them enjoy their meal as we enjoy them? The latter always seems to win! Last summer had had a mom and dad and three little babies. It was so much fun to watch them grow and play and scurry among the rocks.
 
These marmots got their name from their yellowish bellies, which you can see when they stand on their hind legs. The sides of their neck and upper jaw are also yellowish. Their backs are a yellow-brown, while their feet and legs are blackish-brown. Their heads have white patches across the top of their noses. The male last year had so much white on his face that we called him, “Gramps.” He was really cute and fun to watch. Marmots have short, round ear, dark whiskers and a bushy tail. They stand 19-26” tall and weigh from 5 to11 lb. The living habits of Marmots are very interesting. They live in colonies of about 10-20 and can live from elevations of 6,500 feet up to 13,000 feet. Their nickname is “Rock Chuck” because they live among the rocks. Between hibernation (August through March) and nighttime sleeping, they spend about 80% of their time in their burrows. If the marmot is not able to store enough fat or they didn’t dig their burrow deep enough, they can suffer during the winter. When they emerge from hibernation, they will throw away their old bedding and replace it with fresh grasses and leaves. They like to keep their dens clean and will periodically change their bedding during the summer months. The marmot is an omnivore, eating grass, leaves, flowers, fruit, etc.
 
Marmots like to burrow under the rocks so that they are safe from predators which include foxes and coyotes. These burrows have several entrances. Each adult maintains its own burrow with those of higher status being closer to the center of the colony. A burrow is about 8-9” in wide and slants downward and then extends another 10-15 feet to a large nest among the rocks filled with fresh grasses. They reproduce when they are about 2 years old and live to be about 15 years. The male digs a new burrow soon after he wakes up from hibernation. He then looks for females and, by the end of summer, he has 1-2 females who are living with him. The young have a 30 days gestation period and then 3-5 offspring per female are born in March and April. They emerge from the burrow at about 3-4 weeks and are weaned 2 weeks later. We can frequently hear the loud chirping of the marmots on top of the rocks nearby. It is interesting to learn that when members of the colony are eating or playing, at least one member is always at attention, ready to signal the others if danger is near. The loud chirping or whistling sound may vary in intensity and duration, depending on the degree of danger. If an eagle I soaring overhead, their chirps are very loud and frequent.
 
The marmots are now well into hibernation and we patiently await their arrival back in March or April and then hope to see some new little ones romping around the rocks next summer. The summer certainly passes by so very fast!