Mammals
Hoary Marmot
Marmota caligata · also called whistler
Sunning itself on a boulder above the treeline, a hoary marmot lets out a sharp whistle at an approaching eagle, a call so familiar in the mountains that it gave a famous place its name.
Overview
The hoary marmot, Marmota caligata, is a Least Concern rodent of the high mountains of northwestern North America. Its frosted shoulders, shrill whistle, and long winter hibernation make it one of the most characteristic animals of alpine meadows.
A voice of the high country
The hoary marmot’s whistle carries across open mountainside, warning the colony of eagles and other predators long before they arrive.
Status
Least Concern, widespread across alpine habitat, though dependent on high meadows.
Hoary Marmot: common questions
Why is it called the hoary marmot?
Hoary means frosted or silvery, and the species is named for the silvery-grey fur over its shoulders.
Why is the hoary marmot nicknamed the whistler?
It gives a loud, shrill whistle as an alarm call, and the whistling calls gave the Whistler area of British Columbia its name.
How long does the hoary marmot hibernate?
It spends much of the year hibernating in a burrow, emerging after the alpine snow melts.
Where is the hoary marmot found?
It lives in alpine meadows and rocky slopes from Alaska and the Yukon south through British Columbia to the northern Rocky Mountains and Cascade Range.