Meet the Hoary Marmot
Handsome devil, isn’t he? This is a hoary marmot, seen in the boulders between Eagle and Symphony Lakes. They usually aren’t this cheeky, but this fellow had no problem posing for a group of us for quite some time. This coloring is typical of an Alaska marmot, although I actually saw a white(!) marmot in 2015, farther north.
The marmot is the largest member of the squirrel family (in North America, anyway) and a true hibernator that enters a state of torpor in the winter, as opposed to bears, who generally sleep the winter away. (Yes, there’s a difference.)
Once you’ve heard it, the marmot’s call — a shrieking sort of whistle — can never be mistaken for the relatively genteel “chip, chip!” of alarm from its tiny cousin, the ground squirrel.
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Lisa Maloney
A long-time Alaskan, Lisa has written three award-winning guidebooks including "Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska" and "50 Hikes Around Anchorage." She also served as senior editor of Alaska magazine and has written hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles about her adventures around the state. Learn more about her at http://maloneywrites.com.
