Long-tailed Marmot

Also known as Golden Marmot

Golden marmots navigate the rugged alpine meadows and rocky scree of Central Asia, easily identified by their unusually long, bushy tails and rich yellowish fur with a dark mantle. These social rodents live in extensive underground burrow systems where colonies forage on alpine vegetation during brief summer months. Before harsh winter blizzards set in, family groups retreat into deep hibernacula to sleep together for up to seven months.