The Tatra marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris) is an endemic subspecies of marmot found in the Tatra Mountains. In the past, it was a game animal, but in the 19th century, its population drastically declined. It is a herbivore active in the summer, living in territorial family clans in the mountains from the upper montane to the alpine zone. One of the rarest vertebrates in Poland, it is subject to strict legal protection there. It is also legally protected in Slovakia. The and the classify the Tatra marmot as a strongly endangered subspecies (EN), while the Red List for the Carpathians in Poland designates it as "CR" – critically endangered. It is a relatively poorly researched animal.
History of discovery and research
The wider recognition of the marmot in Poland was influenced by the slow progress of settlement in the Tatra region, dating back to the privilege granted by Bolesław V the Chaste in 1255 to the Cistercian Abbey of Szczyrzyc: We also grant to the abbot: free hunting, all in the surrounding forests up to the mountains called Tatras. Historical accounts mention that over time, a group of hunters specializing in marmot hunting emerged, known as "whistlers".
Descriptions of Tatra marmots were very modest and mostly related to their hunting value. Hungarian pastor wrote in 1774: The Carpathian marmot resides in the highest mountain peaks' dens in summer and winter. It feeds on roots and herbs and has fat, tasty meat. The meat, skins, and especially the fat, which had wide applications in folk medicine, were valued.
Various authors wrote about marmots: in 1719, teacher ; in 1721, Polish naturalist and Jesuit Gabriel Rzączyński; in 1750, Gdańsk naturalist Jacob Theodor Klein; and in 1779, Polish naturalist and clergyman Jan Krzysztof Kluk mentioned "whistlers" in the Carpathians. Marmots were hunted almost without restrictions until around 1868, and on the Hungarian side of the Tatras until 1883 when regulations protecting this species were introduced.
In 1865, the first description of marmot biology was published. The author of the work About the Marmot was Maksymilian Nowicki – co-founder of the , researcher of Tatra fauna and flora, and a pioneer of nature conservation in Poland. Nowicki, using the name Arctomys ( – bear, and – mouse, rat) as the generic name for marmots, used the term "little bear mouse," while Ludwik Zejszner, writing at the same time, used the term "bear mouse": this peculiar little animal resembles two other creatures, with a head similar to a mouse, and the rest of the body like a bear, covered with long hair similar to martens. Highlanders call it a marmot because of its special barking, as the individual barking sounds are so drawn out that they bear a great resemblance to whistling... The marmot makes very long burrows in the Tatra hollows, lining them with moss and grass. Like many animals, it undergoes hibernation. At the end of summer, it stores numerous root supplies in its burrows and, having fattened up excessively, falls asleep in this winter abode, only waking up completely emaciated in the spring.
Systematics and evolution Belonging to the family Sciuridae, the species Marmota marmota began to inhabit European territories already in the Pleistocene. It occurred over a vast area – from present-day Belgium and the shores of the English Channel to the Pannonian Basin. In the Holocene, with the warming climate, marmots had to choose more favorable locations. The moderate warmth of forested areas was not suitable for them, as their bodies are not well adapted to higher temperatures. They found cooler habitats in the elevated mountain ranges of Europe. Over time, they had to narrow their territories to the Alpine range and the Tatra Mountains. The separation of the Alpine population from the Carpathian one could have occurred from 15 to 50 thousand years ago, but for many years, no differences were noticed between the marmot living in the Tatras and its Alpine cousin, and both populations were treated as geographically separated locations of the same species.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Czechoslovak scientists undertook comparative studies. For this purpose, on 31 May 1961, a marmot was shot from a colony in . The holotype studies were conducted by , a zoologist from the agricultural university in Brno, who found significant differences in the structure of the nasal bones compared to representatives of Alpine populations. After conducting additional comparisons of the results of cranial measurements of the skulls of ten Tatra marmots (selected from 16 obtained for study) and 40 marmots from the Alps (27 skulls were personally examined, and the measurement data of 13 were the result of Gerrit Miller's work from 1912), Kratochvíl concluded that there was a regularity in the comparative group, namely, that the anterior, facial part of the nasal bone was significantly wider and longer in Tatra marmots than in animals from the Alps. Additionally, he found that marmots living in the Tatras are smaller than their cousins and have slightly different fur coloration. Ultimately, Kratochvíl classified marmots from the Tatras as a separate subspecies, M. marmota latirostris, while marmots from the Alpine population were designated as M. marmota marmota. Some zoologists question whether the observed differences could be merely manifestations of individual variability within the small population. However, genetic studies have not yet been conducted to settle this matter.
Etymology The generic name Marmota may derive from Gallo-Romance languages, meaning "murmuring" or "purring", or from Latin, being associated with the term mus montanus, which translates to "mountain mouse". The subspecies epithet latirostris originates from two Latin words: the element lati– comes from Latin lātus, meaning "wide", and –rostris from Latin rōstrum, referring to the nose or beak, and together it can be translated as "broad-nosed". The epithet refers to the flattened and wider facial part of the nasal bone (os nasale) of the animal compared to representatives of the Alpine population.
Morphology The Tatra marmot is one of the largest rodents in Europe. It is similar in size to a domestic cat, with a massive torso. Its length, including the head, ranges from 45 cm to 65 cm (although another source by the same author provides a range of 40–60 cm). In spring, the body mass of adult males ranges from 2.7 to 3.4 kg, while females weigh between 2.5 and 3.0 kg. During the season from spring to autumn, marmots start to consume more calories, taking in more carbohydrates from grass seeds, and their brown adipose tissue significantly expands, creating an energy reserve for the approaching hibernation period. Consequently, the body mass of marmots begins to increase noticeably during this period and can reach over 6 kg by autumn, with over 2 kg attributed to fat tissue. The fluffy tail measures between 13 and 17 cm.
The primary fur consists of long, strong, and thick guard hairs, with the down hair being dense, composed of shorter, woolly, and slightly twisted hairs. The fur color is described as reddish-brown transitioning to dark brown-black. The hair coloration is highly varied, with black or dark brown dominating at the base, while shades of fawn, black, or reddish prevail higher up, fading to fawn or beige at the ends. The fur on the abdomen is lighter, ranging from light beige to yellowish. The head is covered with shorter hair, usually dark, black, or gray, with a light patch between the eyes. The muzzle is lighter, with a grayish tone, while the tail is blackish-brown, with a black tip. The fur of young individuals under one year old is notably darker and fluffier. Moulting typically occurs once a year, around June. Females, weakened by nursing new offspring, may have incomplete fur, and moulting may be delayed by about four weeks. As they age, the fur becomes more twisted and bushy. Older marmots, especially after hibernation, may have areas of thinning fur on their backs and tails.
Five rows of whiskers, measuring up to 8 cm in length, grow on the sides of the marmot's muzzle, with sensory hairs also distributed on the eyebrows. Marmots do not have sweat glands. The forehead is flat and wide, with short (2–2.5 cm), densely furred ears almost entirely concealed in the head's fur. The eyes are small and black. The front paws are short, robust, and dexterous, equipped with four hairy toes ending in claws measuring from 2 to 2.5 cm, which serve as useful tools for digging burrows and holding food. The muscular hind limbs end in five toes with sharp claws.
The external surface of the incisors is covered with hard enamel with longitudinal grooves, whose color changes with the animal's age, starting white in juveniles and darkening to orange and nearly brown with age. The posterior, concave surface of the incisors is made up of brittle dentin. The incisor's occlusal arrangement is scissor-like. The dentition for marmots is: .
In females, there are five pairs of mammary glands.
Morphological comparison to the alpine marmot The main feature that allowed the Tatra subspecies of marmot to be distinguished was the dimensions of the facial part of the nasal bone:
Craniological comparisons (, 1961) Source: Cranial featurealpine marmotTatra marmotWidth of the skull behind the orbits (mm)Length of the nasal bone (mm)Width of the nasal bone (mm) Furthermore, Tatra marmots are characterized by lighter fur and have a grayish-brown coloration, while the alpine subspecies has a darker brown coloration, often with a reddish hue. M. marmota latirostris has a smaller body mass. However, sources do not provide details of this difference.
Despite differences in the habitats of both subspecies (alpine marmots occupy locations at altitudes up to 3200 m above sea level), no differences have been observed in behavior and way of life.
Lifestyle The Tatra marmot is a diurnal animal with territorial and social behavior. It is monogamous, and individual families join colonies, with the nucleus typically being a dominant pair of animals.
Annual life cycle The annual life cycle of the marmot consists of two periods: summer activity and hibernation.
Summer activity
The summer activity of the marmot begins around April and May and lasts until the second half of September or the first half of October. The earliest emergence of marmots on the surface has been observed on April 22, while the latest on May 10. This period lasts 139–158 days (or 139–161), with an average of 148 (or 150.7).
The first spring activity after awakening from winter hibernation is associated with the mating season. the estrous cycle typically occurs in the second decade of May. Mating takes place both inside and outside the burrow. Gestation lasts about 33 days, and the young are born in the second decade of June. Usually, from one to six offspring are born, most commonly from two to three. They remain under the care of the female in the burrow until the second half of July. They start consuming solid food at the age of eight weeks. They will only become independent after three to four years when they reach sexual maturity.
The beginning of summer activity is also marked by the search for new locations. Marmots migrate up to a distance of 3000 meters.
During the summer period, marmots spend their time foraging (43.9%) and patrolling the territory (40.3%). Other activities such as moving, gathering winter supplies, digging and tidying burrows, playing, hygiene, typically account for only 8.9% of their time. Spending time inside the burrow during the day constitutes an average of 6.9%.
There are three different types of contacts between marmots. The locomotor contact is the most common, followed by acoustic and visual contact.
Hibernation