Hoary Marmot
Marmota caligata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderRodentia (Rosegadors)
- FamilySciuridae (Squirrels)
- GenusMarmota (Marmots)
- SpeciesMarmota caligata (Hoary Marmot)
The hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover. It is the largest North American ground squirrel and is often nicknamed "the whistler" for its high-pitched warning issued to alert other members of the colony to possible danger. The animals are sometimes called "whistle pigs". Whistler, British Columbia, originally London Mountain because of its heavy fogs and rain, was renamed after these animals to help make it more marketable as a resort. The closest relatives of the species are the yellow-bellied, Olympic, and Vancouver Island marmots, although the exact relationships are unclear. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot sighting in Great Bear Rainforest, based on 30 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Great Bear Rainforest
Woodchuck
Marmota monax
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Northern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys sabrinus
Douglas' Squirrel
Tamiasciurus douglasii
Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Tamias amoenus
Least Chipmunk
Tamias minimus
Columbian Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus columbianus
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
Quiller
Erethizon dorsatus
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Northwestern Deermouse
Peromyscus keeni
Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Hoary Marmot in Great Bear Rainforest?
About 6% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot sighting in Great Bear Rainforest, based on 30 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Hoary Marmot in Great Bear Rainforest?
July has the highest sighting rate for Hoary Marmot in Great Bear Rainforest in our monthly data.