Mammals
Bobak Marmot
Marmota bobak · also called steppe marmot
Standing upright beside a burrow mound on the Kazakh steppe, a bobak marmot scans the horizon, a stocky rodent that spends much of its year asleep underground.
Overview
The bobak marmot, Marmota bobak, is a Least Concern marmot native to the open steppe of Ukraine, western Russia, and Kazakhstan. Its deep burrow colonies, long hibernation, and loss from farmed parts of its range make it one of the best-known animals of the Eurasian grassland.
A marmot of the plains
Most marmots live in mountains, but the bobak marmot makes its home on open grassland, where its fate is tied to whether steppe is left unploughed.
Status
Least Concern, locally common but gone from places where steppe has been converted to farmland.
Bobak Marmot: common questions
How is the bobak marmot different from the alpine marmot?
The bobak marmot lives on open steppe grassland, while the alpine marmot lives in the mountains of Europe.
Why has the bobak marmot disappeared from some areas?
It has declined or vanished from places where steppe was ploughed for farmland.
Does the bobak marmot hibernate?
Yes, it spends much of the year hibernating in a deep burrow after feeding heavily through the summer.
Where is the bobak marmot found?
It is native to open steppe grassland from Ukraine and western Russia east through Kazakhstan.