Mountain Marmots
Vigilant Rodents
Round and furry friends
On an alpine slope
If Hobbits were animals, they would be marmots. Being short-limbed and stout, they are not known for their speed or strength. Their virtue lies in their character. That they also dwell in subterranean villages lends them further similarity.
Isolated on mountain tops by ancient glaciers, three species of marmot have evolved three distinct colors. I visited three mountain ranges to hunt them, like the Pokemons.
To Mount Washington, Vancouver Island, where we scanned the rocky hillsides for these ever-vigilant rodents. Our subject did not allow close approach. One cannot be to careful when viewed as a walking steak by all beasts with tooth or talon.
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| The sentinel |
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| There are only 350 Vancouver Island Marmots left because they are so delicious |
The Hoary Marmot waddles across the slopes of the Cascades, filling his gullet with grass and herb, and minding his surroundings for predators. When he detects a menace, his whistle is heard across the slopes and valleys, a warning to his comrades to head for the hills!
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| The Hoary Marmot got its name because it is considered sexually promiscuous |
In the Olympic, there dwells the Olympic Marmot. We located an entire village of them. Why are they so successful in their isolated range, while the Vancouver Island Marmot constantly fails?
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| Ever vigilant |
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| The Olympic Marmot received a gold medal for being one of the best-looking rodents alive |
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| A loyal rodent stands guard in his misty domain |
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| A marmot Barron surveys his lands for females to attract, and sub-par males to evict |
A further note: marmots have little in the way of legs. They waddle from burrow to burrow, sending ripples of fat and fur down their body - a majestic sight in the morning sun.
