The forest-steppe marmot (Marmota kastschenkoi) is a rodent species of the marmot genus found in south-central Russia.[1] It lives in wooded forest steppe at an altitude of 180–450 m (590–1,480 ft) in a relatively small region located directly east of the upper Ob River.[2] It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the similar, more southerly distributed gray marmot (M. baibacina), but was separated mainly due to different diploid numbers.[2]
| Forest-steppe marmot | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Marmota |
| Species: | M. kastschenkoi
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| Binomial name | |
| Marmota kastschenkoi Stroganov and Yudin, 1956
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Description edit
Forest-steppe marmots have a head-and-body length of 45–66 cm (18–26 in), and light individuals weigh as little as 3 kg (6.6 lb) in the spring (after hibernation) and heavy individuals as much as 8.9 kg (20 lb) in the autumn (before hibernation).[2] It hibernates for about 61⁄2 months starting in August or September.[2]
Population edit
In 2011, it was estimated that the forest-steppe marmot population consisted of about 14,000–16,000 individuals and had been stable over the last several decades, but earlier estimates have been both somewhat above and significantly below this figure.[2]
References edit
- ^ Brandler, O.V. (2003). "К видовой самостоятельности лесостепного сурка Marmota kastschenkoi (Rodentia, Marmotinae)" [On species status of the forest-steppe marmot Marmota kastschenkoi (Rodentia, Marmotinae)]. Zoologičeskij žurnal (in Russian). 82 (12): 1498–1505.
- ^ a b c d e Kryštufek, B.; B. Vohralík (2013). "Taxonomic revision of the Palaearctic rodents (Rodentia). Part 2. Sciuridae: Urocitellus, Marmota and Sciurotamias". Lynx, N. S. (Praha). 44: 27–138.