They are found in Europe, Russia and central Asia.
They live on grasslands near rivers on the steppes and on low hillsides. They can be found in near farmlands, but generally don’t burrow too close to plowed lands.
They have rounded bodies with short legs and long tail. They are under 2 feet long with a yellowish coat with darker tips. They have small eyes and a dark face. They have sharp claws for digging.
They live in family groups in a colony, with a series of tunnels into which to escape with any sign of a predator. They stand up to scan for predators. They are active in the mornings and evenings and spend half the year hibernating
They eat grass.
They are eaten by foxes, large birds of prey (like eagles) and domestic dogs.
Females are pregnant for about 7 weeks (gestation) and have up to 6 pups. Males will protect young when they emerge from the burrow to feed.
They can live for more than 10 years in captivity but rarely survive that long in the wild. They are listed as Lower Risk - conservation dependent.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Sciuromorpha
Family: Sciuridae
Subfamily: Xerinae
Genus: Marmota
Species: Marmota bobak
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