Marmot

The Alpine Marmot is a rodent easily observed in pastures above tree vegetation. Its typical habitat consists of alpine meadows and transitional environments such as low shrub formations and rocky areas. With diurnal habits, it spends the day searching for food (various herbaceous species and sometimes insects or worms), grooming, sunbathing, and playing with conspecifics. It spends the night and the hottest hours of the day inside a burrow dug in the ground. Its incisor teeth are rootless, so they continuously grow and are worn down while chewing food. Marmots live in families generally made up of the dominant couple and their female offspring, while males are usually driven away early, around one year of age.

The Burrow

The burrows can be very complex and are distinguished as summer and winter burrows. The summer burrows have numerous entrances, usually located in a grassy area sheltered by a rock or shrub. From these entrances, an intricate system of tunnels branches out to a depth of 30 - 90 centimeters, some serving as latrines, others dead-end, and others extending for several meters leading to the den: a space lined with dry grass where animals rest, give birth, and nurse their young. Winter burrows have a single entrance, with a corridor of 6 - 10 meters, mainly straight, leading to a chamber at the end where the animals, sometimes in large groups, hibernate.

Hibernation

Hibernation (from October to April) is regulated by external factors (temperature, light) and internal factors (hormones), of which the mechanisms are still partly unknown. During hibernation, the marmot slows down all vital functions: body temperature drops to 5 degrees, heart rate slows to 5 beats per minute, and breathing reduces to once every 5 minutes. This metabolic slowdown allows for substantial energy conservation, although mortality, especially among the young, remains high. Awakening coincides with the mating season. After a gestation period of 30 - 35 days, the female gives birth to 2 - 7 young, which leave the burrow after 40 days.

Alarm Call

In danger situations, the marmot emits a specific alarm call to warn others of an approaching potential predator. The sound resembles a whistle but is actually produced at the laryngeal level.

Conservation Status

Among the species' mortality factors, predation should be noted, mainly by the golden eagle and terrestrial carnivores like the fox. Death due to hypothermia during winter hibernation, especially among cubs, is also common. Generally, in the territories of the Parks of the Cottian Alps, the marmot enjoys a good conservation status, also thanks to its protected species status under Regional Law 32/1982.