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Did you know that the Alpine marmot is one of the least genetically diverse wild animals?
The Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) is a large native squirrel belonging to the genus Marmota. It is abundant in the alpine areas of central and southern Europe, living at an altitude of 800 meters to 3200 meters, and is widely distributed in the Alps, Carpathians, Tatra Mountains and Northern Appennines. The animal was successfully reintroduced in the Pyrenees in 1948, after the Alpine marmot had disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene.
Evolution
The origin of the Alpine marmot can be traced back to the cold steppes of the Pleistocene, and it has evolved to adapt to the climate of this Ice Age. This makes them excellent diggers, capable of digging through soil that is difficult to shake even with a pickaxe, and they spend up to nine months each year hibernating. With the disappearance of the Pleistocene cold steppes, Alpine marmots still survive in high-altitude alpine meadows. Through a bottleneck effect, they lost much of their genetic diversity while colonizing their Alpine habitats and have since been unable to re-establish it because their lifestyle was closely tied to Ice Age climates, which slowed the evolution of their genomes. Evolution speed. The Alpine marmot is indeed one of the least genetically diverse wild animals.
Appearance features
The head and body length of an adult Alpine marmot ranges from 43 to 73 centimeters, the tail length ranges from 13 to 20 centimeters, and the weight ranges from 1.9 to 8 kilograms. These animals are relatively light when first awakening in the spring and gain weight before going to sleep in the fall. The Alpine marmot's coat color is a mixture of gold, red and dark gray. Most of their fingers have claws, but their thumbs have nails.
Distribution and ecology
As its name suggests, the Alpine marmot is mainly found in the European Alps, including the high mountain areas of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia and Austria. In addition, they have also been successfully introduced to other areas, establishing some in the Pyrenees, the French Central Mountains, the Jura Mountains, the Freuz Mountains, the Black Forest, the Appenine Mountains and the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. population. The Tatra marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris) is a local subspecies of the Alpine marmot. It originated in the Quaternary Period and inhabits the Tatras and Low Tatras. Alpine marmots are abundant in their core populations, such as in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, where the population is estimated at 1,500 individuals. These prairie dogs prefer to live in high-altitude meadows and grasslands, and their colonies meander in deep burrow systems that extend in all directions.
Eating habits
Alpine marmots eat mainly grass and herbs, but also eat grains, insects, spiders and worms. They particularly prefer young plants, and when grabbing food with their front feet to eat, they tend to come out of their holes to feed in the morning and afternoon because they have poor tolerance to high temperatures. When the weather is favorable, Alpine marmots eat large amounts of food to store a layer of fat for their long hibernation.
Lifestyle
Alpine marmots use both their front and rear feet to assist when digging their nests. The front feet are used to scrape the soil, while the back feet are used to push away the removed soil. Alpine marmots will also use their teeth to remove rocks if they encounter them, as long as the rocks are not too large. A "living area" is established at the end of the nest and is often filled with hay, grass and plant stems, with any unventilated tunnels serving as excretion areas. The nests are usually inhabited by a single family, and as the next generation is born, these nests gradually expand to form very complex structures. When an Alpine marmot detects an intruder, it will display strong defensive behavior, attack with intimidating movements, and sound a warning with a loud whistle.
Hibernation mechanism
Alpine marmots use hibernation to cope with extreme climate change and food shortages. Towards the end of summer, prairie dogs will pile up old stems in their nests to make a bed and seal the entrance to prevent intruders. When winter comes, prairie dogs gather together, their heart rate slows to five times per minute, and their breathing rate slows to one to three times per minute. This close proximity facilitates heat exchange, making the hibernating group more viable. Their fat reserves, which tend to survive hibernation, are gradually released, but some alpine marmots may go on a hunger strike due to depletion of fat.
Interaction with humans
Once upon a time, Alpine marmots were widely hunted for their meat and fat, the latter even thought to relieve rheumatism. Even now, they face threats from hunting, especially without proper control, because of their relatively slow reproduction rate. Overall, the Alpine marmot is not currently in an extinction crisis, but some small populations, such as those in the Jura and German regions, may be. Populations in the Rodna region of Romania are also in danger due to poaching.
"At the end of the 18th century, immigrants from the Savoyard region often used trained Alpine marmots to perform and blended them with Savoyard clothing styles."
With the impact of human activities, the fate of the Alpine marmot is closely linked to human activities. How will future conservation measures affect the survival of this species?
