Where does the Alpine marmot live?
The alpine marmot lives in high numbers in the mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, between 800 and 3,200 m, in the Alps, the Carpathians, the Tatras and the Northern Apennines. It lives throughout the alpine areas of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and Austria. It was successfully reintroduced to the Pyrenees in 1948, where it had disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene, and introduced to other ranges, such as the Massif Central, the Jura and the Vosges.
What does the Alpine marmot eat?
It is a large ground-dwelling squirrel. It hibernates: its weight is significantly lower in spring, just after hibernation, than in autumn, just before it. It is sometimes considered the heaviest squirrel species, although some other marmot species have a similar weight range, so it is unclear exactly which is the largest. Marmots are abundant in their core population.
Is the Alpine marmot endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is found in high numbers in the mountainous areas of Europe. An adult marmot is between 43 and 73 cm long, with a tail of 13 to 20 cm, and weighs 1.9 to 8 kg depending on the season.
