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 →
40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot sighting in Jasper National Park, based on 224 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Jasper National Park
Woodchuck
Marmota monax
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Marmota flaviventris
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Callospermophilus lateralis
Columbian Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus columbianus
Least Chipmunk
Tamias minimus
Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Tamias amoenus
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Quiller
Erethizon dorsatus
Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
Gapperrotelmaus
Myodes gapperi
📅 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 Jasper National Park?
About 45% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot sighting in Jasper National Park, based on 224 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Hoary Marmot in Jasper National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Hoary Marmot in Jasper National Park in our monthly data.