Marmota camtschatica
black-capped marmot

Marmota camtscatica is found in Eastern Siberia (Steppan et al. 1999). Populations have been recorded in the mountains of northeastern Siberia from Lake Baikal to Kamchatka (Nowak 1991; Zimina and Gerasimov 1973).

Marmota camtschatica lives in extremely severe and variable conditions. Individuals live in mountainous areas (Macdonald 2001). Within the mountains, some live in forestless, alpine areas with permafrost and rocky areas, called goltzi, some live in the meadow-steppes on the warm south-facing slopes, some live in alpine meadows with Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila), and still others inhabit ocean-facing volcanic slopes. While M. camtschatica is adapted to cold deserts and the harsh conditions at high elevations, it is not adapted to drought or dense forest (Zimina and Gerasimov 1973).

Black-capped marmots are characterized by a large body size (Armitage 1999). They range from 53-73cm in length and 4-8kg in weight (Macdonald 2001).

They have black-tipped guard hairs, which provide excellent insulation in their cold environment (Steppan et al. 1999). They also have a bushy tail approximately half of their body length. These marmots have a plantigrade stance and walk on their entire foot. They have claws on their feet rather than nails.

Incisors are ever-growing and are self-sharpening. The cheekteeth are fan-shaped.

The eyes are placed on the side of the head and are surrounded by a light ring. Vibrissae are present on the head, feet, and legs (Macdonald 2001).

Marmota camtschatica lives, on average, 4-5 years, with a maximum of 13-14 years. Females are known to live longer than males (Macdonald 2001).

Marmota camtschatica individuals are diurnal and fossorial (Armitage 1999). They dig tunnels up to 113m in length (Nowak1991), though the average length is 10-70m (Zimina and Gerasimov 1973). They live in family groups made up of a breeding pair, subordinate adults, yearlings, and young (Armitage 1999). Black-capped marmots are the largest true hibernators. Fat stores are built up for hibernation. They hibernate in a common hibernaculum for social thermoregulation (Armitage 1999, Nowak 1991). Anywhere from 10-15 individuals may hibernate in one burrow (Zimina and Gerasimov 1973). Those individuals that disperse do so when they reach a body mass index (MI) of 0.5, which usually takes more than one year. While some females disperse, dispersal is primarily male-biased (Macdonald 2001; Armitage 1999).

Marmota camtschatica eat primarily green vegetation, especially plants that are in the early stages of growth (Nowak 1991; Zimina and Gerasimov 1973). They may also take fruits, grains, forbs, legumes and occasional insects (Nowak 1991). Marmota camtschatica do not store food (Armitage 1999).

Black-capped marmots are only active during the summer months. They seek refuge from predators in their burrows and by being alert for predators and the alarm calls of conspecifics. Many medium to large carnivores may take black-capped marmots, including wolves and eagles.

Through their burrowing activities and herbivory black-capped marmots act to recycle and redistribute nutrients in the ecosystems in which they live. They also act as prey species for larger predators.

Black-capped marmots inhabit regions that are sparsely populated by humans, there are no known adverse affects.

Black-capped marmots are exploited as a source of fur (Steppan et al. 1999). They are important game animals, are important in epidemiological studies as vectors of diseases such as plague, and are important in paleontological research as they have left an extensive fossil record (Zimina and Gerasimov 1973).

Black-capped marmots are not currently recognized as threatened.

Marmota camtschatica provide biogeographic information about the faunal interchange across Beringia during the Plio-Pleistocene period (Steppan et al. 1999). The black-capped marmot is a good species in which to study the evolution of sociality (Armitage 1999).