The Marmot—Nature’s Whistle Blower
By “Awake!” correspondent in France
“LOOK up there, near the rocks!”
Our guide signals us to stop and points to an animal squatting on its haunches about a hundred meters (about 330 ft) away.
“That’s a marmot,” he says. “If we get nearer, it will whistle and you will see its companions take off for the burrows.” The marmot we can see is sitting on a rock, commanding a clear view of the surroundings.
We go on, and Hans soon cries out: “Listen! The marmot guard is whistling to sound the alarm! We’ve been spotted!” The marmot disappears.
Living High
“Since we’ve been seen,” Hans continues, “it might be better to rest up a while and I will tell you more about this captivating little animal. It’s a rodent related to the squirrel, but the marmot has not inherited the squirrel’s bushy tail. Although the South American capybara and the beaver are the world’s largest rodents, the marmot comes next, weighing about six kilograms (about 13 lb) and measuring anywhere from 63 to 75 centimeters (25 to 30 in.).”
“Are the marmots to be found anywhere else but in the Alps?” inquires Jacqueline.
“Oh, yes, but generally at high altitudes, between 1,200 and 3,200 meters [4,000 and 10,500 ft]. Although in the French and Swiss Jura Mountains and in Austria some live as low as 800 meters [2,600 ft], the natural habitat of the European marmot is in the Alps and in the Carpathian Mountains. However, they have also been introduced by man into the Black Forest in Germany, and the Jura, Auvergne and Pyrenees mountains in France. I am here referring to the marmots found in Europe and Siberia, but there are other species, such as the bobac that lives in the steppes of Russia and Turkey, and the woodchuck that lives in North America.
“Look, there’s one!” We all keep still and the marmot slowly emerges from its hole and comes into full view. We are close enough to see its dark-brown back, reddish-yellow belly and even its tiny ears. As it turns to face us, we can distinguish a pair of bulging eyes and two incisors revealing a cleft upper lip.
“Marmots have very sharp hearing,” whispers Hans, “but their eyesight is even more remarkable, for they have an estimated visual field of 300 degrees, including above, from where swoops their archenemy, the eagle.”
“Is the eagle their only enemy?”
“No, for they also have to reckon with foxes. Man also hunts the marmot for its fur and fat, but in most countries the hunting period is short and the hunters are forbidden to use traps or to dig animals out.”
“How does the marmot defend itself?” asks Jacqueline, moved at the thought of this poor little animal having to deal with such enemies.
“When it is cornered,” explains Hans, “marmots will face up to their enemy and will bite. However, they usually find safety in flight, for they never stray very far from one of their burrows.”
We can now understand why they need a watchman, like the one we saw sitting up when we arrived.
“However,” Hans adds, “marmots just love to squat on their haunches to eat. Various types of tender green grass and plants make up the best part of their diet, and if we were in a reserve where hunting is prohibited and where animals are used to visitors, we could even get close enough to stretch out our hand and feed one.”
The Marmot’s Bedchamber
Along the way, noticing that parts of the mountainside look like a piece of Swiss cheese, I inquire as to the reason.
Our guide replies: “That is typical of marmots. Their long hard claws are designed for digging. In addition to shallow escape holes, they also dig summer and winter burrows.”
Interrupting Hans, I ask: “Why are there two sorts of burrows?”
“First of all, marmots remain at high altitudes only during the summer and later make their way down to lower pastures to dig their winter burrows. At medium and lower altitudes, however, the two burrows may be very close to each other. The summer burrow may be some ten meters (over 30 ft) long and have several wider portions that serve as chambers. The burrow runs more or less parallel with the surface of the ground and about 50 to 90 centimeters (20 to 35 in.) down. This is where Mother Marmot, after a gestation period of 33 to 35 days, will give birth to a litter of two to four young.
“The winter burrow, on the other hand, is a model of subterranean architecture. The entrance gallery is consistently 15 centimeters (6 in.) wide; it may reach 10 meters (33 ft) in length and goes down to a depth of several meters before widening out into a large round cavity—the bedchamber.”
“You mean they even provide a bedroom?” asks Jacqueline, flabbergasted.
“Yes, indeed, and quite a big one too. It is often over a meter wide and is lined with grass and dry leaves. There are even little openings that serve as latrines. In winter, the burrow is sealed off with a heap of excavated soil.”
The Long Sleep
“But that’s not all,” pursues Hans. “The most remarkable thing about marmots is their ability to hibernate. They go off to sleep toward the end of September and don’t wake up until April, or even later. We might be able to catch sight of one carrying some dry grass or hay in its jaws to line a bedchamber. Another interesting fact is that marmots purge before hibernating, by fasting and progressively emptying their bowels.”
“So their peaceful sleep goes undisturbed?”
“Yes. Once the burrow is sealed off, the animal will curl up and go to sleep, losing all consciousness and sense of feeling. It has been noted that they breathe only one to four times a minute instead of the usual 25 to 30 times. Also, their pulse rate drops from 90 to about 10 beats a minute, thus greatly reducing blood flow.”
“But isn’t there a danger of clotting?”
“It seems that a special mechanism sets off the production of heparin, an anticoagulant. However, this process is not too well understood. The body temperature may drop to around four degrees Celsius (39° F.) with no ill effects.”
“What happens if its temperature falls even lower?” Evidently Jacqueline wants to know everything.
“Another unexplained device will then awaken the animal, which immediately starts producing heat. The same thing occurs every three or four weeks when it wakes up to empty its bladder, after which it falls back into its former torpor. It is thought that this rise in body temperature is brought about by an influx of adrenaline in the bloodstream.”
Jacqueline is worried about their survival under such conditions: “What do they eat during all this time?”
“Marmot pie!” replies Hans with a laugh. “Let me explain. The animal draws upon its own fat and will lose from 25 to 50 percent of its initial weight.”
Time to Wake Up
“Is it the milder temperatures that wake the marmots up in May?”
“This is not considered to be the case, for the ambient temperature is often still very low, but for some unknown reason the marmot’s body temperature starts to rise, and it becomes a warm-blooded mammal once again. It is thus compelled to search for food, even digging its way out through the snow if necessary.”
We were left meditating on the aptness of the psalmist’s words: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made.” (Psalm 104:24) Indeed, all we have just discovered about the marmot emphasizes God’s wisdom and encourages us to praise our Great Creator who made all things to perfection!