For this Flora and Fauna Friday I decided to post about fauna. This fat little fellow is a Yellow-Bellied Marmot. Maynor spotted him when we were hiking Table Rock. 
(he's hard to see in these photos but he's running off the large boulder towards the right side)
Common name-Yellow-Bellied Marmot, Rock Chuck
Latin name- Marmota flaviventris
Family- Squirrel
General info- Length, 24"; Tail 7". Coat reddish brown: belly is yellow; sides of neck buffy (Not kidding, that is what the book says). Head dark brown; pale brown patches on muzzle. Feet buffy or brown, strongly clawed. Tail is bushy, reddish brown. Often sits on boulder above burrow.
Voice- High, soft chirps and whistles.
Breeding-4-5 young in May.
Sign- Den near large boulder.
Habitat- Below 11,000':rocky areas in valleys, foothills and mountains.
Activity- Mainly by day: hibernates August to March.
Range- ID, w and c MT; mountains of Wy, w and c CO.
Photo courtesy of tomuphotos.com
Source-National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Rocky Mountain States
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