The Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota) is a species of marmot found in mountain areas of central and southern Europe. Alpine marmots live at heights between 800 and 3,200 metres in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatras, the Pyrenees and Northern Apennines in Italy.An adult alpine marmot may stand at 18 cm (7.1 in) at the shoulder. They reach between 42 and 54 cm (17 and 21 in) in length, not with the tail, which measures between 13 to 16 cm (5.1 to 6.3 in) on average. The body mass is significantly lighter in spring, when these animal weigh 2.8 to 3.3 kg (6.2 to 7.3 lb), than in fall, when they weigh 5.5 to 8 kg (12 to 18 lb).The alpine marmot is sometimes considered the largest squirrel species, although the closely related hoary marmot is sometimes heavier. Its coat is a mixture of blonde, reddish and dark gray fur. While most of the alpine marmot's fingers have claws, its thumbs have nails.They have also seen with sub-populations in the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Vosges, Black Forest, Apennine Mountains, High Tatras, and Romanian Carpathians. Marmots are abundant in their core population in the Romanian Carpathians, for example, the population is estimated at 1,500 individuals.These animals prefers alpine meadows and high-altitude pastures and colonies, where they live in deep burrow systems situated in alluvial soil or rocky areas.
Alpine marmots eat plants such as grass and herbs, as well as grain, insects, spiders and worms. They prefer young and tender plants over any other kind, and hold food in their forepaws while eating. They mainly emerge from their burrows to engage in feeding during the morning and afternoon, as they are not well suited to heat, which may results in them not feeding at all on very warm days. When the weather is suitable, they will consume large amounts of food in order to create a layer of fat on their body, enabling them to survive their long hibernation period.Their fur becomes the same colour as other alpine marmots by the end of the summer, and after two years they will have reach their full size. If kept in captivity, alpine marmots can live up to 15–18 years.
for more pics.....
