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Home → Essays and Inspiration

The Alpine Marmot – A Story of Survival

By Libor Vaicenbacher 12 Comments
Published On January 18, 2024

The Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota) can be nearly a meter long and weigh eight kilograms, or more than 17 pounds. These squirrel-related creatures inhabit the alpine steppes of some of the world’s most dramatic mountain ranges.

Alpine Marmots may seem like the archetype of cuteness, with their furry coats, stocky bodies, and friendly faces. But as it happens, the reality is very different from the first impression. To photograph marmots, I traveled to the Austrian Alps and spent a week with them, 2500 meters above sea level in the shadow of the Grossglockner.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M532406-NEF
NIKON D850 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42mm, ISO 64, 1/640, f/5.6

During the time I spent photographing them, I realized that the life of a marmot is tough, like the life of any mountain creature. After all, high mountains covered with snow for six months of the year are no seaside resort. However, it is not only the climatic conditions that are hard, but also the nature of the marmots themselves.

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NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 290mm, ISO 1400, 1/800, f/5.6

Marmots live in family groups of five to fifteen members. This family unit is far from an idyllic coexistence of several generations. It is led by a dominant pair, who are the only ones allowed to reproduce. They achieve this privilege through constant bullying of subordinate family members. The offspring of previous broods have such high levels of stress hormones that their reproduction is inhibited.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M531855-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 240mm, ISO 250, 1/800, f/6.3

Their job is to care for the youngest siblings, and during hibernation, they serve as a source of warmth that keeps the entire family alive. So while the frost rages outside and icy gusts blow, marmots huddle together in their underground burrows to conserve precious heat and energy. Their heart rates drop to less than a quarter, and breathing slows to just a few breaths per minute. Those who have not managed to build up enough fat reserves during the summer will not survive until spring. This happens most often to the youngest generation.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M534358-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, ISO 320, 1/640, f/5.6

What if a young individual full of energy wants to become independent and start his own family? Then he must leave the colony and seek his fortune elsewhere. But wherever it goes, it can expect nothing but stiff resistance. Usually, the way to a family of its own is through bloodshed. Sometimes it even removes its own parents from the way. Truly Shakespearean dramas sometimes take place on the slopes of the Alps.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533430-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 270mm, ISO 125, 1/500, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533370-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 340mm, ISO 125, 1/640, f/5.6

Even when the dominant pair changes, peace and harmony do not return to the colony. The new male sometimes kills the offspring of his defeated rival. Infanticide is found in a number of mammals, such as lions, but for somewhat different reasons. By killing cubs, lions interrupt lactation and thus hasten the onset of oestrus in lionesses.

What about marmots? Killing the cubs would not result in another litter in the same year anyway. Mountain summers are too short for that. Instead, a female that has lost her cubs will be able to gather more energy before the upcoming winter, and the energy costs of the whole group during hibernation will be reduced. As a result, the female is more likely to make it to the next spring in good condition and provide the new male with more healthy cubs next year.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M534005-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 250mm, ISO 320, 1/640, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533915-NEF
NIKON D850 + 400mm f/2.8 @ 400mm, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/4.5

Observations of infanticide among marmots are relatively rare, so I consider it a sad privilege to have witnessed it with my own eyes. There are often smaller or larger skirmishes between marmots. Even the juveniles can be seen in pretend scuffles that soon become deadly serious.

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NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 200mm, ISO 125, 1/500, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533469-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 200mm, ISO 125, 1/640, f/5.6

Once, as I was walking by a colony of marmots, I noticed some unusual activity. A male that I had photographed at several other skirmishes had unexpectedly attacked one of the pups. The cute little fur ball that had just been frolicking with its siblings was now lying in front of its burrow with its neck bitten off. It all happened so fast that I don’t have a single photo of the whole event.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M534071-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 360mm, ISO 320, 1/640, f/5.6

The life of a marmot was never easy. Recently, however, the marmots’ daily bread has become even harder than usual. Warming temperatures are bringing more heat in the summer, but paradoxically more cold in the marmot burrows in the winter. This is due to insufficient snow cover, which does not protect and insulate the hibernating marmots as it once did. Even huddling together like penguins in Antarctica is not always enough.

So, the survival rate of offspring from a large colony is beginning to differ less and less from the survival rate of a single, independent marmot pair. This may lead to a reduced willingness to accept the bullying from a dominant couple and lead more marmots to go off on their own. Thus, the traditional marmot family (with all its virtues and vices) begins to break down like the Alpine glaciers.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M532228-NEF
NIKON D850 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm, ISO 280, 1/160, f/10.0
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NIKON D850 + 20mm f/1.8 @ 20mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0

Like people facing a flood, the marmots move higher and higher up the mountainside in order to hide under deeper snow. But there is no Noah’s Ark waiting for them at the top. As their habitat shrinks, so does the marmot population. Their numbers are estimated to be declining by 4% per year. So, what was once an abundant animal may soon become one of the growing number of entries in the Red Data Book.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M531724-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 500mm, ISO 360, 1/640, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M531773-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 460mm, ISO 900, 1/640, f/6.3

Europe’s mountains would be a much sadder place without these remarkable rodents. They are inseparable from the character of high alpine meadows, with the way they sit on their hind legs, skirmish around, and whistle to warn other members of the colony of predators. My hope is that by showing you the fascinating and fierce ways in which they live, you will gain a respect for these creatures and look for them next time you find yourself taking pictures in the mountains.

Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__LVP8858-NEF
NIKON D500 + 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 11mm, ISO 100, 1/400, f/8.0
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__LVP8690-NEF
NIKON D500 + 11-16mm f/2.8 @ 15mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/8.0
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__LVP8970-NEF
NIKON D500 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56mm, ISO 100, 1/200, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533003-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 370mm, ISO 125, 1/640, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner__M533101-NEF
NIKON D850 + 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 200mm, ISO 800, 1/500, f/5.6
Alpine Marmots_Austria_Grossglockner_M534235
NIKON D850 + 400mm f/2.8 @ 400mm, ISO 125, 1/400, f/4.0
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Filed Under: Essays and Inspiration Tagged With: Essays, Wildlife Photography

About Libor Vaicenbacher

Libor works as a biology teacher, guide, photographer and photography course lecturer. His passion is birds. As an ornithologist, Libor has studied the avian diversity of the South American Andes. He fell in love with this part of the world and since then he likes to return there with his camera to popularize its nature with his photographs, talks and articles. You can see more of Libor's work on his Instagram page.

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colorAZeta.it
colorAZeta.it
January 28, 2024 2:22 am

Lovely story and shots Libor! You were capable of approaching them quite closely, well done indeed!
By going to the page (sorry if I had to replace dots and slashes) ceresolereale dot panomax dot com you’ll see the Gran Paradiso National Park, in Italy close to France, where I shot my Alpine Marmots in colorazeta dot it slash fauna slash Italia slash GranParadiso_EN dot htm. But they were, as you wrote, less than expected, and quite worried by humans. I was not able to catch the cubs, your pictures are so cute, thank you so much, you are motivating me to try again with more determination and patience.
I was in Grossglockner as a kid, so many years ago… and I enjoyed the approachable Marmots, but it was before clear sign of climate change, so I suspect they were a bit less in danger and relaxed.

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Berlandina
Berlandina
January 20, 2024 5:03 pm

Fascinating! How long did you have to wait to get the shots with the short lenses? Did they just get used to you hanging around or are they normally so trusting?

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Libor Vaicenbacher
Libor Vaicenbacher
Author
Reply to  Berlandina
January 25, 2024 3:31 am

Hi Berlandina, I can’t say that the marmots are particularly shy, but they wouldn’t normally let me get within a few centimeters of them. The wide-angle shots I took were at a colony near a mountain hut where the marmots were used to people. I had to use a telephoto lens for the marmots further away from the trails.

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Berlandina
Berlandina
Reply to  Libor Vaicenbacher
January 27, 2024 10:43 am

Hi Libor, thanks for the additional information. I live in Bavaria, so I can visit the alps occasionally. If I ever saw a marmot there, they were pretty shy and I could never come closer than 50-100 m or so. That’s why I was wondering, but I was never in the Großglockner region. That is going onto my wish list, for sure :-)

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Jason Frels
Jason Frels
January 20, 2024 8:54 am

As a nature lover, I enjoyed this article very much. Thanks.

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Libor Vaicenbacher
Libor Vaicenbacher
Author
Reply to  Jason Frels
January 25, 2024 3:32 am

Thank you so much for watching and reading Jason. Glad you enjoyed it.

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Jason Polak
Jason Polak
Admin
January 19, 2024 4:48 am

I loved all of your shots, Libor. You employed a wide range of focal lengths and styles to really show off the life of these creatures! Very well done. It is also very sad that they are suffering a change in their habitat due to warming.

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Libor Vaicenbacher
Libor Vaicenbacher
Author
Reply to  Jason Polak
January 25, 2024 3:41 am

Thank you so much, Jason. I am especially glad that I finally found the time to sort through the photos and write something about them. The photos in the “drawer” are useless. By the way, limiting yourself to one species of animal and spending a whole week with it is a great experience. In a couple of hours you have taken the usual wildlife photos and for the rest of the week, as you fall asleep in the trunk of the car, you’re wondering how to do it differently.

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Spencer Cox
Spencer Cox
Admin
January 18, 2024 4:43 pm

What a great range of photos and storytelling. In the second photo, it really looks like the marmot on the right is saying “you listen here, buster…”

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Libor Vaicenbacher
Libor Vaicenbacher
Author
Reply to  Spencer Cox
January 25, 2024 3:45 am

Thanks a lot, Spencer. I’m glad I finally got my hands on those pictures, too. The second photo you mention could easily have your words as a caption. If marmots could talk, I’m sure that’s what I’d hear.

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Ircut
Ircut
January 18, 2024 4:08 pm

Those are some incredible up-close-and-personal shots of the marmots. I had no idea their lives were that brutal.

1
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Libor Vaicenbacher
Libor Vaicenbacher
Author
Reply to  Ircut
January 25, 2024 3:48 am

Thank you so much Ircut for your kind comment. I’m very glad you liked the photos and that my article revealed something new to you. By the way, it’s interesting that animals that we humans see as cute often lead rather cruel lives full of intra-species violence. The life of a meerkat, for example, is a real Game of Thrones.

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