The gray marmot (Marmota baibacina), also spelled grey marmot and known as the Altai marmot, is one of the larger marmots, a stocky burrowing rodent of the squirrel family Sciuridae. It lives in mountain meadows, steppes and shrubland of central Asia, from the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia and western Mongolia through eastern Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to Xinjiang in northwestern China, at elevations from about 150 to 4,000 metres. Adults typically weigh 4 to 6.5 kilograms and have beige to tan fur with dark-tipped hairs that give the coat its gray look. Extended families share burrows, dig deep winter burrows and hibernate for seven to eight months, emerging in May, and mate in early May. Where its range overlaps that of the Tarbagan marmot in the Mongolian Altai, competition confines the gray marmot to higher, rockier ground above about 3,000 metres. Fossils of the species are known from Denisova Cave.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 1 Relationship to PeopleEaten or Drunk by People 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
Sources
1. Animal Diversity Web: Grey marmot (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity WebConservation Status
IUCN Red List considers grey marmots as Lower Risk or Least Concern on its list with an estimated population of 600,000 individuals in Mongolia alone
Food Habits
Grasses and herbaceous vegetation make up the majority of the diets of grey marmots.
Habitat
Grey marmots living in temperate climates occupy many different habitats including tundra, taiga, grassland and mountains.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
People in the region also hunt and trap grey marmots using their pelts for trade.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive, relationship to people
Farmers use grey marmots as a source of food and also use some body parts as a source of medicine.
Conservation Status, cites appendix
CITES No special status
Physical Description
The a weight of an adult on average varies from 4.25 kg to 6.5 kg.
Behavior
During the summer months grey marmots are diurnal feeding during the day.
View the Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)
Lead
It is found in Xinjiang Province in China, southeastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and in the Altai and Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Siberia in Russia.
In Biome: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands, Distribution and habitat
Gray marmots live in mountain meadows and steppes
In Biome: Steppe, Distribution and habitat
Gray marmots live in mountain meadows and steppes
In Ecosystem: Eurasian Steppe, Distribution and habitat
Gray marmots live in mountain meadows and steppes
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.