First ever Fat Marmot Week to kick off in effort to raise money for research
Summary
Fat Marmot Week has started to raise money for research on marmots living in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. This event is similar to Fat Bear Week and aims to support scientists studying marmots, which faced high winter death rates due to less snow cover and warmer temperatures.Key Facts
- Fat Marmot Week began on Monday to support marmot research.
- Last winter, two-thirds of a marmot population in Colorado died because of low snow cover during hibernation.
- Marmots are ground squirrels that live in parts of North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Yellow-bellied marmots in the Rocky Mountains double their weight before hibernation.
- Marmots enter deep hibernation with very low body temperatures and slow breathing.
- Global warming caused less snowfall, making the marmots’ burrows colder and leading to many deaths.
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory has studied these marmots since 1962.
- Researchers call themselves “marmoteers” and observe changes in the local environment, such as fewer pollinators and more sagebrush.
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