Marmot

(Marmota Marmota)

Profile

  • Size: 50 - 73 cm
  • Weight: 4,5 - 8,0 kg
  • Age: 15 - 18 years
  • Appearance: Coat on top yellowisch gray-brown

Animals in the Oberallgäu

These native animals are real outdoor pros. No one moves so confidently in the terrain, knows important hiding places, knows how to camouflage and warn themselves, and always have danger in sight, like they do

Habitat

The Allgäu High Alps represent a typical habitat for marmots. They usually live above the timberline, in open rocky areas, preferably on warm southern hillsides between 900 and 2,500 meters.

Nutrition

Marmots eat herbs, grasses, young shoots of plants and roots.
Due to the rather high nutritional value, marmots quickly accumulate a lot of fat during the short growing season of the alpine summer. This is essential for the next winter, because then they need good reserves to survive hibernation.
In addition to plants as the main food source, insects, larvae and earthworms are also on the menu, depending on availability.
These alpine inhabitants do not cover their liquid requirements at the clear mountain streams, but exclusively by solid food.

Behavior

Mating season is shortly after leaving the winter burrow. There can be up to 4 years break between 2 litters. Per litter 1 - 7 young are born, which can come from different fathers. The young often migrate after the 1st winter.

Danger

Mating season is shortly after leaving the winter burrow. There can be up to 4 years break between 2 litters. Per litter 1 - 7 young are born, which can come from different fathers. The young often migrate after the 1st winter.

Therefore, note in the Oberallgäu:

Marmots are great observation animals. Keep calm and quiet, so you will be able to observe a marmot on a mountain tour, especially in the Allgäu High Alps in summer.