Morris Marmots

Day 273: Some photos just beg for captions. With roughly twenty marmots engaged in social activities on a scree slope smaller than a postage-stamp city lot, it was hard to decide where to aim the camera. These two were just hangin' out, possibly intent on the bear in the meadow below them, but to me, they seemed to be just two best buds, too lazy to get up out of their chairs during halftime.

Marmota caligata is the Pacific Northwest's answer to eastern groundhogs. Classified as a ground squirrel, they are the largest member of the group and healthy adults may achieve weights of 15-20 pounds before entering hibernation. They are burrowing mammals, and a marmot den may extend up to 11 feet from its opening. These tunnels are often hidden by grasses and other forbs, as I once discovered painfully while my attention was focused on an aggressive goat. In one step, my forward motion ceased when I dropped thigh-deep into a marmot burrow which had been hidden by vegetation. The "thunk" of my upper body smacking the ground startled the goat into flight, but the technique is not one I'd recommend.