Alpine Marmots

Alpine Marmots

Noushka Wildlife Blogs, Wildlife


From the same family as the squirrels, this creature is symbolic of our mountains and lives in an altitude between 800 and 3 000 meters.

It was successfully reintroduced in Pyrenees in 1948, as it had totally disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene period.

It hibernates 6 to 7 months a year without stocking food and it lives in large burrows with many tunnels; curious fact: if its fingers have claws to dig, the thumbs have nails!

Marmottes des Pyrénées
De la même famille que les écureuils, cet animal emblématique de nos montagnes vit entre 800 et 3 000 mètres d’altitude. Elle a été réintroduite avec succès dans les Pyrénées en 1948, alors qu’elle avait disparu à la fin du Pléistocène, la plus ancienne époque géologique du Quaternaire et l’avant-dernière sur l’échelle des temps géologiques, qui s’étend sur environ 2,6 millions d’années à 12 000 ans avant le présent.
Elle vit dans de grands terriers sur des terrains alluviaux ou sur les adrets ensoleillés où roches et herbages alternent. Perchée sur les rochers elle peut observer l’arrivée de l’un de ses ennemis – et l’espèce en a! – comme les grands mammifères prédateurs et les grands rapaces.
Elle hiberne au moins 6 mois par an sans faire de stocks de nourriture, de début octobre à mars/avril. Si elle est armée de grosses griffes pour creuser terriers et tunnels, ses pouces ont des ongles!

Marmotte D5200H 5294 170814
Marmotte D5200H 5291 170814
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Marmotte D5200H 5285 170814
Noushka Wildlife

Noushka

Passionate about Nature and photography but mostly animals and birds. I live in France at the present, but have lived in Africa for 16 years and in the U.S. for 3 years and with Australia in mind for the future. With my husband, I created and managed a Bird Park in South Africa, raising mainly psittacines; the breeding facility housed over 1000 parrots at any given time. My photography is about sharing fauna's beauty with other enthusiasts! Equipment: NIKON lenses: 400 mm Z F4/5, 800 mm Z, 500 mm, 200/500 mm, 800 mm f5/6E

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Noushka Wildlife

Noushka Wildlife

Passionate about Wildlife, Photography and Wildlife issues. I live in the south of France at the present, but have lived in Africa for 16 years, in the U.S. for 3 years. With my husband, I created and managed a BIRD PARK in South Africa, raising mainly psittacines; the breeding facility housed over 1000 parrots at any given time. I speak French and English alike and manage decently in Spanish. My photography is about sharing fauna's beauty with other enthusiasts! Equipment: ALL NIKON Cameras: D500, D750 Tele lenses: 300 mm, 500 mm, 800 mm f5/6E, Zoom lenses: 16/80 mm, 80/400 mm, 200/500 mm and: Macro 150 Sigma. * * * My work can be seen HERE: http://1000-pattes.blogspot.fr/ * * * NOT ON FACEBOOK

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