Marmota caudata
long-tailed marmot

Red marmots, Marmota caudata, also know as golden or long-tailed marmots, are found in high alpine meadows of the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Tien Shen mountains of Central Asia. In the 1960's, red marmot populations were estimated at about 600,000 including: 200,000 in the Pamirs, 170,000 in Central and Western Tien Shan, 130,000 in Alai, and 100,000 in Gissaro-Darvaze. (Bibikov, 1996)

Red marmots are most common in the mountain meadows which are often grazed by domestic sheep, goats, and yaks. They aso inhabit semi arid plateus and the edges of nut-forests. They are found from elevations of 1,400 to 5,500 m in the himalayan region. (Bibikov, 1996)

Marmots are the second largest rodents (after beavers) in the Palearctic Region. The body shape and size of these animals reflect their fossorial, or partly subterranean, life. Marmots are solid and box-shaped, with the legs apart. The hind legs are shorter than the forelegs. Their bodies are streamlined and flexible, and marmots are capable of pushing their way through narrow holes. They can change direction during sharp turns. Red marmots weigh as much as 8 to 9 kg.

All four feet have five digits with sturdy, blunt claws. Pads on the digits are very well developed. These pads function to help rake up earth and compensate to some extent for the complete or partial reduction of the fifth digit. Other digits are long, flexible, and capable of holding thin plant stems.

The head of red marmots is flattened, and the neck is short. The large eyes are close to the top of the head, allowing the animal to see the terrain above ground while remaining inside the burrow. Ears are small and barely extend beyond the fur. Long wiskers are located on checks, lower jaw, around the nose, and eyes.

The skulls of marmots are distinguished from those of other sciurids by their large size, large postorbital processes, and relatively small cranium. (Bibikov, 1996)

Although there are not data specifically relating to red marmots, other members of the genus Marmota can live between 13 and 15 years. (Nowak, 1991)

Specific information on red marmots is scanty. However, much is known about the behavior of marmots in general, and may be generalized to this species.

Marmots are true burrowers, with a complex underground system of tunnels and dens. Even during the summer, marmots generally spend 16 to 20 hours a day in dens. The marmot is the largest mammal that exhibits true hibernation. During winter when they become dormant, and quite often they do not emerge from hibernation for six months or longer. Marmots choose optimal sites for digging the winter burrow where persistent snow cover prevents the soil from freezing deeply.

The importance of burrows in the life of marmots is not limited to their use as shelter. The earth removed when the burrow is constructed encourages succession and considerably increases the variety of vegetation in their habitats.

The chamber in which marmots hibernate is called the hibernaculum. A special plug composed of earth, dung, and gravel also provides a permanent microclimate in the hibernaculum, allowing warmer air to be trapped inside. To produce a plug, many marmots use their front legs and the muzzle to make earth balls 0.5 to 8 cm in diameter to block the entrance to the winter burrow, and they press these balls down with their muzzle.

Marmots exhibit a variety of social structures, from nearly solitary in M. monax to extrememly social, with overlapping generations inhabiting the same burrow system, M. caligata. In general, the shorter the summer season, and the longer the period of hiberation, the more social the marmot species.

(Arnold et al., 1979; Bibikov, 1996)

Marmots are primarily vegetarians, and they consume a variety of plant species. Seasonal and local differences in forage composition have been found. During feeding, a marmot moves slowly, turning its head alternately from one side to the other. From a distance animals seem to crawl on their bellies. (Bibikov, 1996)

Specific data on predation in red marmots is lacking. In general, the number of marmot predators is not great. Some animals often attack marmots, eating primarily infant animals, especially during the first weeks after their emergence when the young marmots are not experienced with predator evasion.

In mountain regions, bears often dig out marmot burrows. The main predators of Eurasian marmots are stray dogs and wolves. Marmots actively react to predator appearance from far away, emitting alarm calls, and immediately running towards their burrows. Having stopped near the hole, they allow the predator to approach closer, constantly keeping an eye on it.

As mentioned in the physical description of M. caudata, the eyes of marmots are located on top of the head, allowing them to survey the surrounding area from within their burrows. It might be supposed that this is an adaptation allowing these animals to detect and avoid predators from a safe location.

Important predators of marmots everywhere are eagles, especially the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). (Bibikov,1996)

As a prey species, the abundance of M. caudata likely affects the size of eagle populations.

Red marmots may compete for forage with domestic livestock. (Bibikov, 1996)

Local populations trap M. caudata for its hide and for meat. (Bibikov, 1996)

The range of red marmots is extremely fragmented. However, in Eastern Pamir, where the main populations are concentrated, settlements are distributed more continuously. In the 1960s to 1970s only 3 to 4 thousand skins were taken annually. Populations of the red marmot number about 250,000 animals in Kirgizia and about 360,000 individuals in Tadzhikistan. (Bibikov, 1996)