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Vancouver Island Marmot Rare and Endangered
Found Only On Vancouver Island British Columbia
The Vancouver Island Marmot is one of the rarest animals in the wild.
Marmots from BC are endangered, but you can still catch a glimpse of one in Strathcona Provincial Park, Mount Washington or Mount Cain.
There are 14 kinds of marmots in the world, but the Vancouver Island one is only found on the Island.
Declared extinct in the 1990s, marmots, with the help of their human friends, are making a weak come back on the Island.
Marmot in the mountains of Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada.
The Rare Marmot
The Vancouver Island marmot is only found one place in the entire world—the high mountains of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
And, if you go looking for them, you may not always see marmots, as they hibernate on Vancouver Island for about 210 days each year (late September or early October until late April or early May).
Marmots are a member of the rodent or squirrel family, but they are larger. A marmot is about the size of a large house cat.
British Columbia marmots, unlike marmots in other areas, have a chocolate brown fur with white patches on it.
This marmot video shows marmots that are living in the Calgary zoo.
Please press the "Play Button" (left) in the player controls instead of the arrow on the screen.
Habitat of Marmots
Marmots live in colonies—in burrows, and they require high elevations with fields or meadows that face south to west.
Meadows must be kept clear of trees and brush for the marmots to survive. And, surprisingly, snow creep or avalanches or fires actually help preserve their alpine meadows.
Clear cutting by lumber companies does open up new habitat areas for the marmot, but, in just a few years, brush and trees take over again—making the area unsuitable for marmots.
Marmots on Vancouver Island live in higher elevations.
Marmots and the Future
There are several reasons that marmots have become rare on Vancouver Island.
Climate changes - Over the years, changing climates have provide both increases and decreases in the meadow areas suitable for marmots on the island.
Clear cutting - This provides a temporary home for marmots. When brush and trees take over a field, the marmots are forced to move to another area.
Predators - Perhaps the greatest threat is the presence of local predators—golden eagles, cougars and wolves. The non-aggressive little marmot is no match for a predator that is intent upon having him for dinner…
In the 1980's there were approximately 300 to 350 of these little creatures on Vancouver Island, but by 1998 there were less than 100--and by 2001 less than 75 in existence, with only 25 living in the wild!
There had been at least 12 colony extictions during this time and that put the Vancouver Island Marmot on Canadas' most endangered species list, legally protected under the British Columbia Wildlife Act.
In recent years, groups of interested citizens have banded together to help protect the Vancouver Island marmot, and marmots bred in captivity have been released to the wild.
No one knows if the conditions present in Vancouver Island, British Columbia will continue to sustain the colonies on the Island.
