The Yellow-bellied Marmot that took up residence on the lawn and in the gardens of The Fairmont Empress Hotel has returned! (Actually, he has probably been hibernating there all Winter and has just reappeared for Spring).
Why is he special? Well, Yellow-bellied Marmots don't usually live in Victoria or even on Vancouver Island, so he probably hitched a ride on a Transport Truck from the Rocky Mountains.
"The Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the Rock Chuck, is a ground squirrel in the marmot genus... Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, and coyotes. When a marmot sees a predator, it whistles to warn all other marmots in the area (giving it the nickname "whistle pig"). Then it typically hides in a nearby rock pile."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_Marmot
If you have a good nick-name for him, contact Five Star Whale Watching orcas@5starwhales.com
Suggested nick-names so far include "Chuck", "Flav", "Flavio", "Rocky" and "Burt"(?)
By the way, we do not yet know if it is a he or a she...Careful, they bite.
Photo by Capt. Trev Neufeld
1 comment:
I just love visiting this little creature. I notice a trap near its tunnels, I hope someone is wanting to relocate rather than kill it? Though it seems to be faring just fine in this corner of the world.
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