A marmot is a large, chunky rodent that lives in mountainous regions across North America, Europe, and Asia. Imagine a woodchuck or groundhog but often bigger and fluffier, with thick fur to keep warm in cold mountain air. Marmots typically weigh between 5 and 15 pounds, though some species grow even larger.

These animals are famous for their piercing whistles, which they use to warn each other about danger. When a marmot spots a hawk, eagle, or fox approaching, it stands up on its hind legs and lets out a sharp, high-pitched whistle that echoes across the mountainside. Other marmots hear the alarm and dash into their burrows, underground tunnels where they live in family groups.

Marmots spend much of the year hibernating underground, sometimes for seven or eight months. During the short mountain summer, they eat constantly, building up fat reserves to survive the long winter sleep. You might spot them sunbathing on rocks near hiking trails in places like the Rocky Mountains or the Alps, looking like furry loaves of bread sprawled out in the sunshine.

The most familiar North American marmot is the groundhog, which, according to tradition, predicts the length of winter each February 2 on Groundhog Day.