Facts you may not know about marmots

   

       

               

            

Everyone seems to have a joke about marmots

       This chubby looking little mammal is ultra adorable.  The marmot seems to be soooo underrated and maybe even a little misunderstood.  Did you know a marmot is considered a giant ground squirrel?  When they hibernate for 9 months, they survive on their own body fat.  This fat is 20 percent of their entire body weight. I am not sure if everyone would consider this an achievement but it is pretty impressive. 

There are fifteen different species of this large ground squirrel. 

        The reasons are not quite understood why they live longer when they are anti-social.  Perhaps, they have really poor attitudes and get in a lot of spats when they socialize.  Let's see if we can find any other marmot achievements.       
        In our society, we usually encourage each other to be social and want our children to develop social skills.  It is very different for the yellow-bellied marmot. They certainly do not achieve exemplary marks in social skills.  Did you know that in the Marmot world, being social shortens their lives by two years or more?           
    

       Marmota is the genus! Many people think that a marmot is a particular species.  For example, a groundhog is a marmot. There are also four extinct species of marmots.  They live about 6-15 years in the wild.  

       They can live up to 18 years in captivity.  That's an achievement! They all look surprisingly alike and vary in size.  Most of them hibernate through the winter as well. Most marmots are monogamous though some species are not. 

Take a moment to breathe the fresh air

       The most amazing aspect that I learned about the marmot is that its body heat can drop to 39 degrees Farenheight when hibernating without ill effects.  When it wakes it, its body heat immediately begins to rise.            

Is it summer?

Marmots are great and reduce stress just by looking at them. 

Don't you just love it when you spot a marmot?  Where have you seen this adorable creature?  What was it up to?  Let me know!