GROUND SQUIRRELS · SPECIES PROFILE

Tarbagan Marmot

Marmota sibirica

EndangeredDETAILED REFERENCE
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Body lengthUnknown
Tail lengthUnknown
WeightUnknown
Activityprimarily diurnal, strongly seasonal marmot; exact active-season timing varies by locality
ConservationEndangered
Countries / regionChina · Mongolia · Russia
01

Classification & Current Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
SubfamilyXerinae
TribeMarmotini
GenusMarmota
SpeciesMarmota sibirica
MDD taxon ID1001736

Current MDD v2.5 recognizes Marmota sibirica as a living species in family Sciuridae, subfamily Xerinae, tribe Marmotini.

02 · DISTRIBUTION

Where it occurs

Current MDD country distribution: China · Mongolia · Russia. Biogeographic realm: Palearctic.

Country-level distribution is a broad reference and does not mean the species occurs throughout every listed country or state.

02 · HABITAT

Where it lives

Marmots are terrestrial squirrels of open alpine, montane or steppe environments depending on species; exact vegetation, soil and elevation requirements remain species-specific.

03

Shelter, Burrows & Resting Sites

Marmots use excavated burrow systems for shelter, reproduction and seasonal dormancy. Architecture, colony structure and burrow depth vary among species and sites.

RANGE & HABITAT CONTEXT

Compare form, setting and structure

Related ground squirrels help break up the reference while showing how habitat, body form and movement can vary across the broader group.

Yellow Ground Squirrel — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELYellow Ground SquirrelSpermophilus fulvus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Vladimir Yu. Arkhipov, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC-BY-NC · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Caucasian Mountain Ground Squirrel — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELCaucasian Mountain Ground SquirrelSpermophilus musicus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Alla Verkhozina, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC-BY-NC · VIEW SOURCE ↗
04

Identification & Physical Profile

Body lengthUnknown
Tail lengthUnknown
WeightUnknown
AppearanceSpecies-specific adult measurements and diagnostic pelage details are not yet sufficiently standardized in available species-specific references.

Measurements are left Unknown until they can be tied to reliable species-specific sources. This avoids mixing sex, age, season or subspecies ranges from unrelated references.

05

Terrestrial Adaptations & Burrowing

Marmots have robust limbs and claws for digging and terrestrial movement. Seasonal fat storage and prolonged winter dormancy are widespread in the genus, but exact hibernation dates and physiology should be sourced species by species.

06

Behavior, Activity & Communication

Activity: primarily diurnal, strongly seasonal marmot; exact active-season timing varies by locality

Behavior & communication: Marmots are primarily diurnal. Social systems range from relatively solitary to highly social family groups depending on species; alarm calls and scent communication are widespread, but a species-specific repertoire is not assigned without direct evidence.

BEHAVIOR & FORAGING CONTEXT

Keep behavior connected to the animal

These are related ground squirrels, not photographs of Tarbagan Marmot. Use them as visual context for locomotion, posture, feeding and environmental use.

Little Ground Squirrel — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELLittle Ground SquirrelSpermophilus pygmaeus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Анна Голубева, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND) · CC-BY-NC-ND · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Asia Minor Ground Squirrel — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELAsia Minor Ground SquirrelSpermophilus xanthoprymnus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Hakan Gür, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC-BY-NC · VIEW SOURCE ↗
07

Diet & Foraging

Genus context: grasses, forbs, leaves, flowers and other herbaceous plant material dominate many marmot diets. Exact seasonal foods for this species remain incompletely summarized here.

Species-specific diet details remain incomplete
08

Reproduction & Development

Breeding seasonUnknown
GestationUnknown
Litter sizeUnknown
DevelopmentUnknown

Unknown values remain explicit. Reproductive figures from related ground squirrels are not silently substituted for this species.

09 · LONGEVITY

Lifespan

Unknown

09 · PREDATORS

Predation & Risk

Marmots can be preyed on by large raptors and mammalian carnivores; the local predator community varies strongly across the species range.

10

Ecology & Ecosystem Role

Burrowing modifies soil and vegetation, while grazing links marmots to open-habitat food webs. Species-specific ecological effects vary with density and habitat.

GROUP DIVERSITY

See the wider group around this species

Squirrels in the same broad group can look and live very differently. These credited references provide comparison without changing the facts for Tarbagan Marmot.

Eastern Chipmunk — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELEastern ChipmunkTamias striatus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Mike Leveille, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC-BY-NC · VIEW SOURCE ↗
Uinta Ground Squirrel — related ground squirrel visual context
RELATED GROUND SQUIRRELUinta Ground SquirrelUrocitellus armatus — related group reference for visual comparison; not Tarbagan Marmot.(c) Thaddeus Charles Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC-BY-NC · VIEW SOURCE ↗
11

Conservation

CURRENT MDD / IUCN STATUSEndangered

The status above follows the current MDD v2.5 field for this accepted taxon. Country-level range and conservation category can change as assessments and taxonomy are updated.

12

Research Coverage & Unknowns

Taxonomy, country distribution and conservation category are anchored to MDD v2.5. Unsupported measurements, reproductive values and lifespan remain Unknown rather than inferred from related species.

Group context: Marmota context: large terrestrial squirrels with burrow-centered life histories and pronounced seasonality; exact social structure, hibernation duration and diet vary by species.

13

References & Further Reading

Taxonomy, country distribution and conservation status follow Mammal Diversity Database v2.5; broader family biology is used only as clearly labeled context.