Squirrels

Marmots, along with the groundhog, are species of stocky, ground-dwelling animals in the genus Marmota. Marmots live in rocky crevices, or in burrows that they dig in sandy-loam soil. Most marmot species occur in alpine or arctic tundra, or in open forests of North America or Eurasia, although the groundhog is also a familiar species of agricultural landscapes. Marmots eat the tissues of a wide range of herbaceous and woody plants, and they store food in their dens, especially for consumption during the winter. Marmots become very fat prior to their wintertime hibernation, and then lose weight steadily until the spring.

The most widespread species in North America is the groundhog or woodchuck (Marmota monax), which is a common animal of open habitats over eastern and central regions of the continent. The groundhog is a reddish or brownish, black-footed marmot, typically weighing 7-13 lb (3-6 kg). These animals dig their burrow complexes in open places in well-drained soil, usually on the highest ground available.

The hoary marmot (M. caligata) occurs in alpine tundra and upper montane forest in the northwestern United States, and north to the arctic tundra of Alaska and Yukon. The yellow-bellied marmot (M. flaviventris) is a species of alpine and open montane habitats of the western United States.