Scientific name Marmota himalayana Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Family Sciuridae Subgenus Marmota Higher classification Marmot | |
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Similar Marmot, Long‑tailed marmot, Bobak marmot, Hoary marmot, Squirrel | ||
Himalayan marmot 3 mp4
The Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) is a marmot found in alpine grasslands throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau at elevation from 3,500 to 5,200 m (11,500 to 17,100 ft). It lives in colonies and excavates deep burrows that colony members share during hibernation.
Contents
It is about the size of a large housecat. It is closely related to the woodchuck, the hoary marmot and the yellow-bellied marmot. It has a dark chocolate-brown coat with contrasting yellow patches on its face and chest.
Playing himalayan marmot at pangong tso leh
Habitat
It is found in the upper reaches of the Himalayan range. Mostly visible in the mountainous regions of Ladakh in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and Bhutan.
In culture
It was known to the ancient Greek writers as the Gold-digging ant apparently as reference to the fact that gold chunks were mined from the silts of the burrows these marmots dug. The French ethnologist Michel Peissel claimed that the story of 'gold-digging ants' reported by the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC), was founded on the golden Himalayan marmot of the Deosai plateau and the habit of local tribes such as the Minaro to collect the gold dust excavated from their burrows.
