Marmota himalayana

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 648-837 : 819

248.

Himalayan Marmot

Marmota himalayana

French: Marmotte de I'Himalaya / German: Himalaya-Murmeltier / Spanish: Marmota del Himalaya

Other common names: Karakoram Marmot

Taxonomy. Arctomys himalayanus Hodg- son, 1841,

“Himalaya...and sandy plains of

Tibet.”

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M.h.himalayanaHodgson,1841—SETajikistan,NPakistan,NIndia,andWChina(WTibet=XizangandXinjiang).

M. h. robusta Milne-Edwards, 1871 — Tibet-

an Plateau in SW China, Nepal, and Bhutan although boundaries of the subspecies are not well defined.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 460-650 mm, tail 125-150 mm; weight 4.9-2 kg. The Himalayan Marmotis large-bodied and ground-dwelling; it has dorsal pelage that is cream to buff to yellowish, with variable patches of charcoal to black. Nose and cheeks are often dark brown to black that occasionally extends to forehead. Venter is buff to tan to light brown. Tail is tan to light brown at base, with black tip. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38 and FN = 70. Nominate himalayana is lighter than subspecies robusta, without rust to orange.

Habitat. Alpine meadows, upland grasslands, and high-elevation deserts. Himalayan Marmots exist at elevations of up to 5670 m, and they are perhaps the southernmostoccurring species of marmot.

Food and Feeding. The Himalayan Marmot is an herbivore that feeds primarily on young grasses, shoots of forbs, mosses, lichens, and herbaceous material growing in open cold dry grasslands and deserts.

Breeding. The Himalayan Marmotlives in multi-burrow colonies in which young are born after gestation of ¢.30 days; litter size averages 4-8 young in high-density populations and seven young at low densities (range 2-11). Females can reproduce in their second year.

Activity patterns. Himalayan Marmots are diurnal and social hibernators. They are only active for 5-6 months each summer and hibernate in burrows for the remaining 6-7 months of the year.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Himalayan Marmot is social and lives in multi-burrow colonies, usually in groups of up to ten individuals. Natal dispersal is delayed, and social groups typically consist of single dominant adult male, adult female, two-year-olds, one-year-olds, and young-of-the-year. Group members are highly sociable and display affiliative behavior. Non-group members are targets of aggressive displays, tooth chatters, and chases. Alarm call is a high-pitched complex call with two distinct sounds when threatened.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix III (India). Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Himalayan Marmotis unknown. Itis included in the Schedule II (Part II) of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Lack of knowledge about natural history impedes conservation and management. Hunting of Himalayan Marmotfor food and medicine appearsto be a significant threat in some localities.

Bibliography. Armitage (2014), Bibikow (1996), Molur et al. (2005), Nikol'skii & Ulak (2006), Oli (1994), Roberts (1977), Thorington et al. (2012).