Alaska marmot

Description

The Alaska marmot (Marmota broweri), also known as the Brooks Range marmot or the Brower's marmot, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in the scree slopes of the Brooks Range, Alaska. They eat grass, flowering plants, berries, roots, moss, and lichen. These marmots range from about 54 centimetres (21 in) to 65 centimetres (26 in) in length and 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) to 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. The Alaskan government has designated February 2 as "Marmot Day," a holiday intended to recognize the prevalence of marmots in the state, similar to the more widely celebrated American holiday of Groundhog Day. In terms of global distribution, the Alaska marmot is nearctic. Current distribution of the Alaska marmot include the Brooks Range, Ray Mountains, and Kokrines Hills. They exist in the mountains that lie north of the Yukon and Porcupine rivers in central and northern Alaska. However, there have been reports of Alaska marmots in the Richardson Mountains in the northern Yukon Territory but these sightings have not yet been confirmed. Their overall distribution is still poorly understood.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not consider their population "severly fragmented," but the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has described it as "patchy." Alaska marmots are found scattered throughout Alaska as small colonies each consisting of various families.Their locations have been documented in the Brooks Range from Lake Peters to Cape Lisburne and Cape Sabine that lies westward. There have been sightings of marmots near rivers in the Northern Baird mountains and in the Mulik Hills. They have also been sighted near copter Peak in the DeLong Mountains.Species have also been secured south of the Brooks Range in the Spooky Valley and in the Kokrines Hills.