Long-tailed Marmot in an alpine meadow, in Amarnath

From the archive record

Himalayan long-tailed Marmot forages among wild geranium flowers en route Amarnath in India. The long-tailed marmot or golden marmot (Marmota caudata) is a species of marmot in the family Sciuridae. The long-tailed marmot is a large, sturdy rodent weighing up to 9 kg (20 kgs). The eyes are close to the top of the rather-flattened head, the ears are small and the neck is short. The forelegs are longer than the hind legs and the tail is longer than in other species of marmot. The long-tailed marmot is diurnal and feeds on plant material. It is most active in the morning when about forty percent of the time is spent foraging. After emerging from the burrow, the marmots spread out and do not forage as a group. Food is either collected from the ground by the mouth or plucked from taller plants.