Marmota caligata

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	SCIURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Marmota caligata

Species Authority:

(Eschscholtz, 1829)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Hoary Marmot, Montague Island Hoary Marmot

Taxonomic Notes:

Hall (1981) treated M. broweri as a subspecies of M. caligata, but Jones et al. (1992) and Hoffman et al. (in Wilson and Reeder 1993) and Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) recognized M. broweri and M. caligata as distinct species.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Linzey, A.V. & NatureServe (Hammerson, G.)
Reviewer/s:	Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Chanson, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Least Concern because it is widespread, common in suitable habitat, there are no major threats.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs from Alaska in the United States, southward through British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory and Alberta in Canada, to Washington, Idaho, and Montana in the United States. Although mostly montane in distribution, it occurs down to sea level in northern Alaska.
Countries:	Native: Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon); United States (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington)
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This species is considered secure in its range (NatureServe).
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is found in treeless alpine meadows where there are rocky outcrops and talus. Young are born in underground burrows. Gives birth to 4-5 young in late spring or early summer after gestation period of about one month (Whitaker 1980). Diet consists almost entirely of grasses and other herbaceous plants (Burt and Grossenheider 1976). Hibernates October-February in south, September-April in British Columbia (Whitaker 1980).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It is found in treeless alpine meadows where there are rocky outcrops and talus. Young are born in underground burrows. Gives birth to 4-5 young in late spring or early summer after gestation period of about one month (Whitaker 1980). Diet consists almost entirely of grasses and other herbaceous plants (Burt and Grossenheider 1976). Hibernates October-February in south, September-April in British Columbia (Whitaker 1980).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no major threats to this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are no major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is not of conservation concern and its range includes a few protected areas.

Conservation Actions:

This species is not of conservation concern and its range includes a few protected areas.

Bibliography [top]

	Burt, W. H. and Grossenheider, R. P. 1976. A field guide to the mammals. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA, USA. Hafner, D. J., Yensen, E. and Kirkland Jr., G. L. 1998. Status survey and conservation action plan - North American Rodents. IUCN/SSC Rodent Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland. Hall, E. R. 1981. The Mammals of North America. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA. Hoffmann, R. S., Anderson, C. G., Thorington Jr., R. W. and Heaney, L. R. 1993. Family Sciuridae. In: D. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, pp. 419-465. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA. Jones Jr., J. K., Hoffman, R. S., Rice, D. W., Jones, C., Baker, R. J. and Engstrom, M. D. 1992. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 146: 1-23. Thorington Jr., R. W. and Hoffmann, R. S. 2005. Family Sciuridae. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reader (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 754-818. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA. Whitaker Jr., J. O. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, USA. Wilson, D. E. and Ruff, S. 1999. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.

Burt, W. H. and Grossenheider, R. P. 1976. A field guide to the mammals. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA, USA.

Hafner, D. J., Yensen, E. and Kirkland Jr., G. L. 1998. Status survey and conservation action plan - North American Rodents. IUCN/SSC Rodent Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.

Hall, E. R. 1981. The Mammals of North America. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.

Hoffmann, R. S., Anderson, C. G., Thorington Jr., R. W. and Heaney, L. R. 1993. Family Sciuridae. In: D. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), Mammal Species of the World, a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, pp. 419-465. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.

Jones Jr., J. K., Hoffman, R. S., Rice, D. W., Jones, C., Baker, R. J. and Engstrom, M. D. 1992. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 146: 1-23.

Thorington Jr., R. W. and Hoffmann, R. S. 2005. Family Sciuridae. In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reader (eds), Mammal Species of the World, pp. 754-818. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Whitaker Jr., J. O. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, USA.

Wilson, D. E. and Ruff, S. 1999. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.

Citation:	Linzey, A.V. & NatureServe (Hammerson, G.) 2008. Marmota caligata. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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