Marmota vancouverensis, Swarth, 1911
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819041 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFBC-ED41-FAF4-F95CF925FA8B |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Marmota vancouverensis |
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Vancouver Island Marmot
Marmota vancouverensis View in CoL
French: Marmotte de lle Vancouver / German: Vancouver-Island-Murmeltier / Spanish: Marmota de la Isla de Vancouver
Taxonomy. Marmota vancouverensis Swarth, 1911 View in CoL ,
“Mt. Douglas (altitude 4,200 feet [1280 m]), twenty miles [32 km] south of Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Colum-: bia” [Canada].
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. Endemic to Vancouver I (SW Canada).
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 695 mm (males) and 661 mm (females), tail mean 220 mm (males) and 193 mm (females); weight 3-7 kg. The Vancouver Island Marmot has dark brown to sepia dorsum; old pelage fades to tawny or olive brown. A white patch surrounds snout and chin. Flecks or small patches of white can also be found on forehead and venter; white patches are sometimes aggregated a as line along midline of venter, which tends to be same color as dorsum. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 42 and FN = 60.
Habitat. Open alpine meadows, avalanche bowls, or clear cuts at elevations of 1000-1500 m.
Food and Feeding. The Vancouver Island Marmotis an herbivore that feeds primarily on young grasses, shoots of forbs, bulbs, woody shrubs, fruits, fern fronds, and other herbaceous material.
Breeding. The Vancouver Island Marmotlives in multi-burrow colonies. Litter sizes are 3-5 young; females can producelitters in consecutive years but often skip 1-2 years.
Activity patterns. Vancouver Island Marmots are diurnal and have bimodal daily activity. They hibernate in family groups in winter that can last up to eight months.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows are relatively complex with multiple entrances. Vancouver Island Marmots live in restricted family groups that include an adult male, 1-3 adult females, yearlings, and a single litter produced by one of the female group members. Two-year-olds disperse from natal areas. The Vancouver Island Marmot has a diverse selection of calls of descending, ascending, and flat single-notes that increase in length with level of alarm. Trills are given when marmots are highly alarmed. A fifth call type, “kee-aw,” seems to maintain vigilance levels among other Vancouver Island Marmots.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red Last. Population trend of the Vancouver Island Marmot is declining. Lack of knowledge about natural history impedes conservation and management. Fewer than 300 individuals persist in the wild, supplemented by a successful captive breeding program. Predation levels are high and may be responsible for this species’ decline in recent years. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Gray Wolves (Canis lupus), and Pumas (Puma concolor) are the most significant predators of Vancouver Island Marmots.
Bibliography. Aaltonen et al. (2009), Armitage (2013a, 2014), Bryant (2005), Keeley et al. (2012), Nagorsen (1987), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
