Today, I took pictures of two different species of marmot. However, that wasn’t the unusual aspect of the event. It was that they were both in the subalpine.
We are one of the few regions in the Province that is host to two species of marmot: The larger hoary marmot is found in the subalpine; The smaller yellow-bellied marmot is found at the valley bottoms. Presumably, this division is driven by competition for resources.
I had previously only ever seen the yellow-bellied marmot at altitudes not far above lake level, typically about 560 metres, So, why was today different?
A hoary marmot was seen today at an altitude of about 1900 metres, which is typical.
A yellow-bellied marmot was seen today at an altitude of about 1660 metres, over a 1000 metres above its typical local range, and within the range of hoary marmots. Why?
I’ve heard it said that marmots – hoary and yellow-bellied both – sometimes lodge themselves in the undercarriage of vehicles and later find themselves well outside their normal habitat. Just a thought.