Head to head
Hoary Marmot vs Yellow-bellied Marmot
Hoary Marmot
VS Yellow-bellied Marmot
The hoary marmot and yellow-bellied marmot are both whistling, hibernating marmots of western North America, but they differ in colour, range, and the high country each one prefers.
| Hoary Marmot | Yellow-bellied Marmot | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Marmota caligata | Marmota flaviventris |
| Colouring | Frosted, silvery-grey shoulders with dark feet and a pale patch on the face | Brown back with a yellowish to orange underside and a pale patch on the face |
| Alarm call | Loud, shrill whistle, which earned it the nickname whistler | Sharp whistles that warn others of predators such as eagles and coyotes |
| Hibernation | Spends much of the year hibernating in a burrow, emerging after the alpine snow melts | Spends the long mountain winter, often most of the year, hibernating in a burrow |
| Habitat | Alpine meadows and rocky slopes | Rocky mountain slopes and meadows |
| Range | Alaska and the Yukon south through British Columbia to the northern Rocky Mountains and Cascade Range | Mountains of western North America, from the Rockies and Sierra Nevada to the Great Basin |
| Social life | Lives in colonies of related animals | Lives in small colonies, often with one adult male and several females and their young |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, though warming could shrink the high meadows it depends on | Least Concern |
Hoary Marmot vs Yellow-bellied Marmot: common questions
How can you tell a hoary marmot from a yellow-bellied marmot?
The hoary marmot has frosted, silvery-grey shoulders, while the yellow-bellied marmot has a yellowish to orange underside beneath a brown back.
Which marmot gave a place its name?
The hoary marmot, whose whistling calls gave the Whistler area of British Columbia its name.
Where do the hoary and yellow-bellied marmots live?
The hoary marmot lives in alpine meadows from Alaska and the Yukon south to the northern Rockies and Cascades, while the yellow-bellied marmot lives on rocky slopes and meadows from the Rockies and Sierra Nevada to the Great Basin.