There is a saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child. This might also be true when it comes to marmot pups! Vancouver Island marmot families hibernate together, and we suspect that the older adult marmots and siblings use their own body heat to keep the pups warm over winter. But pup-care by grandparents or siblings might start even sooner. We often see older females and their daughters playing with the same litter of pups, or taking turns watching over a single litter. Typical litters include 3-5 pups, so if there are more pups than that, then we assume there may be two litters. But if there are just a few pups, we have to wonder – was it the older female that bred, or the younger one? Or did both females wean tiny litters? We don’t always know the answers to these questions, but whatever the case, we’re sure that for Vancouver Island marmots, family is a good thing!
This photo shows a pup with 9yo Nicola, its doting grandma (we think!)
Photo credit: John Deal.