365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Whistle-pig
Day 260: You'd think Hoary Marmots didn't have a care in the world, lounging around on the rocks in the "Sound-of-Music" setting which characterizes the subalpine areas surrounding Mount Rainier. Also colloquially called "whistle-pigs" for their high-pitched call, these large rodents are members of the same family (Sciuridae) as squirrels and chipmunks. Their nonchalance is misleading, however. During the few months when vegetation is available, Marmots must consume large quantities of food in order to put on the body fat which sustains them through a long hibernation. This handsome paradigm of the species was simply taking a break between snacks, one of several Marmots I observed during a short hike above Paradise.
Labels:
Hoary Marmot,
Marmota caligata,
MORA,
Paradise
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