marmots is mountain - and quilt-living in, sociably living Erdhörnchen, that is given a home in Europe, Asia and North America with 13 types and subtypes. A deviant way of life leads only the North American groundhog, who prefers as a loner Waldgebiete.
Opposite this close to relatives prairie-dogs and marmots become clearly bigger and heavier for the gophers with 31-57 cm of length and up to 7 kg of weight. they appear much massive and penetrated also in the physique, an impression, that spreads through it, rounded off head, the short legs and the dense, rough fur still are reinforced.
Alps-marmot (Marmota marmota)) This popular Alps-animal was already to the Roman-time as "Mus alpinus" = "Alps-mouse" a quite known type of animal. Attributed the lively fat of the marmot, that "Mankeischmalz" or "marble-oil" became and become, an intact-bringing effect in rheumatism-illnesses. Unfortunately, this absurd belief led to a strong prosecution in the past. Nowadays, the passionate Alps-hiker usually only knows the warning whistle of the Alps-marmot, on the all Artgenossen like the lightning into the construction comes in and that is understood as warning-tone also from the chamois. In Germany, the Alps-marmot is led endangered types the potentially in the red list.
Spread The Alps-marmot (also Mankei, mutter or Marmotte) lives in a strongly splintered retreat-area in the Alps and the Karpaten where it outlasted since the last ice age. We find the biggest interrelated occurrence in the west-Alps. In Germany, it originally only lives in the Berchtesgaden country and in the Westallgäu; smaller continuances in the Black forest, in the Bavarian forest and in the Swabian Alb are naturalized beside it. The occurrence of the Karpaten is completely isolated from the Alps-populations and on the high Tatra limited. Outside the Alps, Alps-marmots were abandoned also in the Pyrenees and on the Balkans.
Way of life Alps-marmots prefer sunny grass-hillsides, mountain-mats and gravel-fields in altitudes between 800 and 3000 m. There, we find the animals usually family-wisely united to relaxed colonies. The extended ones, Erdbaue branched has one or several main-openings and occasionally many additional-openings; the exits are blocked. Normally introduces diagonally driven into the mountain, up to 10 m of long main-walk into a spacious, grass-upholstered residential-kettle. Beside the main-construction, the animals still frequently aim additional-constructions and need-shelter in the proximity. In the winter, Alps-marmots also sometimes cover farther downhill, d. h. protected, situated "winter-apartments", that serve only spending the winter. In the spring, the marmots then come back again to its "summer-apartments."
Hibernation Before beginning of the 6-month-y winter-silence, the entrance of the building site is blocked firmly with earth, stones and bitten off plant-sharing, the so-called "tap." The activity of the animals decreases more and more, and finally the whole marmot-family (up to 15) lies in the kettle, together-nestled narrowly and cuddled into the hay, to the hibernation unites. Approximately every 4 weeks wakes up individual animals in order to empty. However, they don't eat any food during the entire winter-silence. The body-temperature sinks in the hibernation to 5-7 °C.
Reproduction Shortly after the dawn from the winter-silence in April, the marmots begin with the combination, that usually happens in the construction. Whether disputes occur during the Brunftzeit, that lasts only for 1 days with the female, in the family or colony among the males, is controversial. The same female can copulate with several males during the short Brunftzeit. After 25-34 days, it was born 2-7 unseeing kids, whom its eyes open only after 3 weeks. The female claims the largest part of the building site for itself during the Jungenaufzucht. The remaining family-members must as long as moves out.
Way of life It is at all difficult to fathom the family-structure of a building site. Usually, the family consists of a male (in the hunter-language "bear"), a female ("cat") and the not yet sexually mature boy of the last two years. The newborn babies go even on observation-stations for the first time with 2 months, comes back again and again into the maternal construction, however, at night, even if they played in family-foreign holes during the day.
Marmots are day-active exclusively. The daily action-area is marked with a smudgy secretion from cheek-glands. Another gland, the anal-gland, takes action only with danger. Ausgestülpt, it exudes a disgusting smell.
Food The main-food consists of herb-y plants, beside it also from blooms and fruits of alpine plants. Whether also small animals are eaten, is not known.
Enemies The natural enemy of the Alps-marmot is the today so rare stone-eagle. Furthermore, it becomes from the Kolkraben, maybe also from martens and hunted also from bear and lynx earlier. In Germany, the hunt-law only admits individual shootings down with particular permission of the hunt-authority today after the mass-shootings down of former decades.
Bobak or steppe-marmot (Marmota bobak)) The steppe-marmot connects to the Alps-marmot in its spread eastward and is to be found in steppe-areas as far as after East-Siberia. From the previous type, it differs mainly in the Nagezähne white on the forefront, the lighter fur and those of some more severe measurement. Tail and feet are shorter on the other hand. Otherwise, a Bobak looks like an Alps-marmot.
Also the holes in the even steppe remind of those of the Alps-marmot. The colonies of the Mongolian subtype, the Tarbagans (Marmota bobak sibirica), stretch in the Mongolian steppe over gigantic areas. The furs of the Tarbagans are important trade and export in the Mongolia; they are well suitable for the imitation of expensive fur-kinds.
The Bobak has enemies far more than its alpine cousin: Bears, snow-leopards, wolves, dogs, foxes, polecats, wolverines and different griffins.
Hibernation and reproductive-behavior correspond those of the Alps-marmot.
Hoary marmot (Marmota caligata)) The hoary marmot leads a very similar way of life like the Alps-marmot as mountain-inhabitants. its spread (with several subtypes) stretches over north-east-Siberia and Alaska. The light, hoary fur camouflages the animal excellently opposite the rocks. With 40-53 cm of length, it remains smaller than the Alps-marmot, possesses a longer tail, however.
Groundhog (Marmota monax)) Also only 40-51 cm big becomes the North American groundhog. It lives different than its relatives as a loner and is limited on forest-edges and forest-areas. With danger, even one piece can climb on trees. It lives mainly from fungi, grass and fruits.
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