Vancouver Island Marmots - All-terrain boxing

Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery - please visit marmots.org for more information.
We couldn't help but admire the dedication of these yearlings to a good friendly boxing session! Did you notice the smallest yearling gathering dried grasses and sedges from on top of the boulder? It will carry that vegetation back to their sleeping burrow to use as bedding.
This site is unique because Vancouver Island marmots usually prefer large, open areas that make it difficult for predators to sneak up on them without detection. Although there is a lot of open habitat surrounding these small trees, they still screen marmots from anything approaching from that direction. What you can't see from the camera angle is that there is a small cliff just upslope from the boulder. The yearlings' parents often sit on top of that cliff, which gives them a great view of the whole area. If the adults saw a cougar, wolf, or golden eagle coming near, they would whistle to warn these yearlings to run for cover. Marmots usually live with their parents until they are two years of age. Next year, these yearlings will have to find their own burrows and watch for predators themselves. Some may disperse to other mountains but some may settle on this mountain, just a whistle away from where they were born.
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