vancouver island marmot

The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is a stocky, chocolate-brown ground squirrel found only in the high-elevation meadows of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It lives in colonies on open alpine and subalpine slopes where it digs extensive burrow systems for shelter and hibernation, emerging in spring to feed on grasses, wildflowers, and other meadow plants before spending over half the year underground. Adults build fat reserves through summer—often reaching 4.5–5.5 kg for females and up to about 7.5 kg for large males—then lose substantial mass during a long winter hibernation. Once reduced to critically low numbers in the early 2000s, the species has rebounded through intensive recovery actions; recent counts indicate roughly 420–430 marmots in the wild (about 427 entering winter 2025–2026). Despite this progress, the marmot remains highly vulnerable because its entire global population is confined to a small number of mountain sites, with predation (notably by cougars, wolves, and golden eagles) and long-term habitat pressures—including climate-driven changes to alpine meadows—continuing to threaten its stability.