Himalayan marmot

Marmots are squirrels (family Sciuridae). There was no question in my mind after I saw the long incisors of one that looked curiously at me to see whether I was going to feed it. On the 4 Kms high marshy plateau near the village of Muglib in Ladakh, there is a clan of the social Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana). Unfortunately, the road passes very near their underground village, so tourists often stop to feed them biscuits from packs. The Family explained to a family of tourists, the parents and two young children, that biscuits are not their food, so they eat it but they fall sick afterwards. The children nodded when she pointed out how two of the marmots were losing their thick fur.The Family believes in the essential goodness of people and was convinced that they will not feed wild animals in future.

We’d spotted a drowsy marmot basking in the sun just below Wari La a couple of days ago. On this meadow we saw one with its head down, apparently fast asleep. Does it not have natural predators? Of course it does, but most of them, like snow leopards, wolves, and foxes, must be rare here, next to a road. Other predators are birds of prey, but I hadn’t seen a raptor in the sky the whole day. I’m sure the animals watch out for them and spread alarms.

I watched as the animals returned to their normal life after determining that we had no biscuits for them. On the far bank of the stream one returned to nibbling at the root of a spiky thistle. Near us one of the animals rooted about in the grass. Their concentration on roots implied that they are looking for starches as summer draws to a close and they begin to put on weight for their 7-8 months of hibernation. That’s probably why they are so interested in the carbohydrate and sugar rich food that they get from tourists.

On the far bank of the river I’d noticed several burrows opening near where the marmot was feeding. These communal burrows can go as deep as 10 meters, and probably connect below the stream I saw. The animals on both sides of the stream probably belong to the same clan, sharing a common burrow. They are said to be large, holding as many as 10 families. Since they mature at age two, and produce litters of around ten, families can be large. The species has a wide range, right across the Himalayas and into Tibet, so they are not considered endangered yet. I was surprised for a while that this was my first sighting of them. But then I realized that they are found well above the 3000 meter line, at heights where I have spent little time.

This post is scheduled to appear while I travel. I’ll reply to your comments and look at your posts when I have network coverage.