Bobak marmot

The bobak marmot, also called the steppe marmot, is a large ground-living rodent of the Eurasian steppe. It lives in colonies on open grassland and along the margins of cultivated fields, from central and eastern Ukraine through far southwestern Russia to northern and central Kazakhstan. Its range was once continuous but has broken up, with the species lost from places such as southeastern Belarus and eastern Hungary and reintroduced in a few areas. The bobak is a social animal that hibernates for more than half of each year. Females average about five young per litter, and young animals take three years to reach sexual maturity, with males leaving the home colony after their second winter. Two subspecies are recognised, though the differences between western and eastern animals appear to be gradual. The species is a symbol on the coat of arms of Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine, and like other marmots it can carry bubonic plague.