Hoary Marmots of Banff, Canadian Rockies Wildlife
How many of you love to sleep? Do you like to lie in the sun on a warm summer’s day? In the fall do you go into nesting mode with the shorter, cooler days? On a cold blustery winter day do you head for the couch with a good book or for a nap?
If you’ve said yes to all these questions, in your next life you may want to come back as a Hoary Marmot, the King, Queen and Twin Sleepers of the Alpine!
On warm summer days while hiking and heli hiking in the alpine around Banff and the Canadian Rockies, we often see marmots sunning themselves on rocks after their veggie breakfast. Dad is on the king boulder, Mom is on the queen boulder (sometimes they share), and the kids are romping around on twin boulders. They can spend as much as 44% of their day napping on boulders but will seek shelter or shade on hotter days in their burrows.
By mid-August, you’ll see marmots less often with days getting shorter and cooler. They’ll be eating more to bulk up for the winter and napping even more. Along trails will be seen “haystacks” of harvested plants they’ve left to dry before storing in their burrow for the following spring. I’ve never seen them harvesting, so I honestly don’t know when this is done. Maybe after their mid-day nap?
Come mid-Sept. the marmot family goes into hibernation all snuggled together in their grass- lined chamber for one big winter slumber party! While it’s a howling -40C outside, it’s a cozy 5C in their burrow, 1-2 meters deep. They’ll be in this slumber together for up to 8 months!
In May or even as late as mid-June, the marmot family will wake up from their slumber party at sometimes half the size of their fall weight. Luckily their larder, which can be as big as half a couch, is right there for them to chow down! Once the snow melts Mom sometimes does a spring cleaning of the burrow, which looks like a pile of hay outside the entrance.
When summer finally arrives, the cycle begins again with Dad, Mom and the kids being the King, Queen, and Twin sleepers of the Alpine!
By Kristi Beetch
ACMG Day Hiking and Winter Travel Guide, IGA Master and Professional Interpreter