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Marmot

Marmots

Groundhog, Marmota monax
Scientific classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Rodentia
Family:Sciuridae
Subfamily:Sciurinae
Genus:Marmota
Species
see text
Marmots are members of the genus Marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels).

Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevadass in the United States or the European Alps. However the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, and the prairie dogs are also better called "prairie marmots", though they are not classified in the genus Marmota but in the closely related genus Cynomys.

Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.

Species of marmot

External link

http://www.marmotburrow.ucla.edu/index.html International Marmot Network