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Species authority page

Yellow-bellied marmot

Marmota flaviventris · Small game

Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris): Coarse yellow-brown to tawny upper pelage, often frosted, with a buffy band on the side of the neck. Whitish band across the snout in most. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the yellow-bellied marmot map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Yellow-bellied marmot sitting on a rock
Photo by Y S on Unsplash
Scientific name
Marmota flaviventris
Family
Sciuridae
In North America
Native
Range
South-central British Columbia and southern Alberta south to southern California, Nevada, southern Utah and northern New Mexico, typically above 2,000 m.
Biology

How to identify it

Coarse yellow-brown to tawny upper pelage, often frosted, with a buffy band on the side of the neck. [1][2]

Whitish band across the snout in most. [1][2]

Short bushy tail; total length up to about 68 cm (ADW: 470-700 mm). [1][2]

Males 2.95-5.22 kg, females 1.59-3.57 kg. [1][2]

Compared with the hoary marmot: Black feet, black cap and white nose patch. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a yellow-bellied marmot before you act. Compared with the hoary marmot: Black feet, black cap and white nose patch.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Alpine tundra, subalpine and montane meadows, foothills and canyons; semifossorial, burrowing under rocks in talus, outcrops or boulder fields. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Whistles to signal alarm, plus scream and tooth chatter [1][2]

Lives alone, in pairs or colonies with territorial males, 1-5 adult females and young [1][2]

Hibernates early September to May at higher elevations; may emerge February-March lower down [1][2]

Generalist herbivore: grasses and forbs; does not store food [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

South-central British Columbia and southern Alberta south to southern California, Nevada, southern Utah and northern New Mexico, typically above 2,000 m.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology