Marmota olympus

Olympic Marmot
(*Marmota olympus*)
Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Sciuromorpha
Family:	Sciuridae
Subfamily:	Xerinae
Tribe:	Marmotini
Genus:	Marmota
Subgenus:	Petromarmota
Binomial details
	Marmota olympus (C. H. Merriam, 1898)
Other resources
	Full taxonomic details at MDD

The Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) is commonly found near timberline on subalpine and alpine meadows and talus slopes of the Olympic Mountains (Edelman, 2003).

Description

From Edelman (2003): "Pelage consists of 2 types of fur: a dense, soft underfur along back and sides and long, coarse guard hairs along entire body (Howell 1915). Tail is densely haired (Hoffmann et al. 1979). A white patch of fur occurs in front of eyes. Nose, lips, and chin are also white (Howell 1915). Upon spring emergence, pelage is yellow-brown in color. A molt begins during mid-summer changing pelage to nearly black by hibernation (Barash 1973). One-year-olds have grayish brown pelage with a light brown rump; infants have dark gray pelage (Wood 1973)."

Museum specimens

Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897.
Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897.

External measurements

Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.

Part of range	Reference	Total length	Tail length	Hindfoot length	Ear length	Mass
Washington	Edelman (2003) from Howell (1915)	males: 720–750 (n=3); females: 670–690 (n=2)	males: 210–237 (n=3); females: 180–192 (n=2)	males: 100–110 (n=3); females: 91–100 (n=2)		males (prehibernation): 850–1100 (n=5); females (prehibernation): 670–750 (n=6)

Color variation

Young Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) individuals photographed by Sean Daniels in Clallam County, Washington.
Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) in molt photographed by Pete Siminski in Port Angeles, Washington.
Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) photographed by jfletch10 in Clallam County, Washington.
Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) photographed by Mike Merchant in Clallam County, Washington.

Skull

Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897. Dorsal view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897. Ventral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897. Lateral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897. Dorsal view of the mandible.
Holotype: USNM 90518. Marmota olympus. Adult male. Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington. Collected 27 August 1897. Lateral view of the left mandible.

Similar species

The range of Marmota olympus does not overlap with that of any other species of marmot. If locality is unknown, the Key to North American species of Marmota may be helpful.

References

Barash DP. 1973. The social biology of the Olympic marmot. Animal Behaviour Monographs 6:171-2.

Edelman AJ. 2003. Marmota olympus. Mammalian Species (736):1-5. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3504348

Hoffman RS, Koeppl JW, Nadler CF. 19 relationships of the Amphiberingian marmots (Mammalia: Sciuridae). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 83:1-56.

Howell AH. 1915. Revision of the American marmots. North American Fauna 37:1-80.

Wood WA. 1973. Habitat selection and energetics of the Olympic marmot. M.S. thesis, Western Washington University, Bellingham, 56 p.