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The Marmot Story — When Sleeping Makes a Living

Why marmot is a good role model for humanity.

“Marmot’’ is the common name of all 14 species from the genus Marmota, a member of the “ground squirrels”. They are incredibly successful social animals adapted to seasonal, high-altitude environments and can be found from grassy, forested to rocky terrains. Except for the Mongolian and Vancouver Island marmots, all other species are considered “least concerned” in the IUCN list of endangered species.

Adult marmots are about the size of house cats (4–8kg). Four prominent physical characteristics of marmots are — their “miniaturized” squirrel tail, thick fur and fat around the neck and shoulders (distinct from related genera), big incisors, and sharp claws. The latter is of course crucial for their burrow-dwelling lifestyle.

A burrow system may house up to 20 marmots, usually with one pair of dominant adult male and female that mate (sometimes a harem). They start mating soon after hibernation ends. Marmot lifecycle starts from giving birth to a litter size of typically 2–10 in early Summer. The newborns are small and blind and are fully dependent on the Mother’s rearing and…