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Vancouver Island marmot

October 21, 2023

The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) naturally occurs only in the high mountains of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia.[3][4] This particular marmot species is large compared to some other marmots, and most other rodents. Marmots are the largest members of the Sciuridae family, with weights of adults varying from 3 to 7 kg depending on age and time of year.[5]

Vancouver Island marmot
In Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, British Columbia, Canada

Critically Imperiled (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Marmota
Subgenus: Marmota (Petromarmota)
Species:
M. vancouverensis
Binomial name
Marmota vancouverensis
(Swarth, 1911)
  Current distribution
  Former distribution

Marmota vancouverensis is one of only five land mammals endemic to Canada.[6] Although endemic to Vancouver Island, Marmota vancouverensis now also resides successfully at several captive breeding centres across Canada as well as several sites on Vancouver Island at which local extinction was observed during the 1990s.[7][8][9] There was an 80% to 90% loss in population, starting around the 1980s and lasting until the early 2000s.[10] The population has since started to regain its ranks. This is the result of an ongoing recovery program designed to prevent extinction and restore self-sustaining wild populations of this unique Canadian species.[11][12] Due to the efforts of the recovery program, the marmot count in the wild increased from fewer than 30 wild marmots in 2003, to an estimated 250–300 in 2015.[13] As of the fall of 2021, there were approximately 25 colonies with marmots likely to emerge.[14] These are spread between 2 metapopulations (clusters of colonies that marmots could travel between), and one isolated colony at Steamboat Mountain.[4] There may be marmots in the Schoen Lake area, but there has not been a confirmed sighting in that area for over 5 years.[4]

Description Edit

 
Vancouver Island marmot skull

The Vancouver Island marmot is typical of alpine-dwelling marmots in general form and physiology. However this species can be easily distinguished from other marmots by its rich, chocolate brown fur and contrasting white patches.[4] No other marmot species naturally occurs on Vancouver Island.[15] The Vancouver Island marmot, as its name suggests, is geographically restricted to Vancouver Island, and apparently evolved rapidly since retreat of the Cordilleran glaciation some 10,000 years before present.[16] Marmota vancouverensis is distinct from other marmot species in terms of morphology,[17] genetics,[18] behaviour,[19] and ecology.[20]

An adult Vancouver Island marmot typically measures 65 to 70 centimetres from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. However, weights show tremendous seasonal variation. An adult female that weighs 3 kilograms when she emerges from hibernation in late April can weigh 4.5 to 5.5 kg by the onset of hibernation in late September or October. Adult males can be even larger, reaching weights of over 7.5 kg. In general, marmots lose about one-third of their body mass during the six-and-a-half months in which they hibernate during winter.[21]

Life history, habitat characteristics and population trends Edit

The marmots on Vancouver Island are exclusively herbivores and burrow dwellers like all marmots. Over 30 varieties of food plants have been observed being consumed by marmots on Vancouver Island, who typically switch from grasses in the early spring to plants like lupines in the late summer.[22] Marmots hibernate for various amounts of time depending upon site characteristics and annual weather conditions. Wild Vancouver Island marmots hibernate, on average, for about 210 days of the year, generally from late September or early October until late April or early May. They generally hibernate for shorter periods in captivity.[23]

Vancouver Island marmots typically first breed at three or four years of age, although some have been observed to breed as two-year-olds.[24] Male marmots have been noticed to mate with 2 or more females during mating season.[25]Marmots breed soon after emergence from hibernation. Gestation is thought to be approximately 30–35 days. Litter sizes average 1–6 pups every other year, and weaned pups generally emerge above ground for the first time in early July.[26]

Systematic marmot surveys have been conducted since 1979, with variable count effort and coverage of the Island.[27] Suitable meadows are rare[28] compared to nearby regions of the British Columbian mainland or the Olympic peninsula of Washington State; habitat scarceness is believed to be the primary reason for the rarity of this marmot species. Most marmots live above 1000 metres elevation in meadows that face south to west. It is believed that populations expanded during the 1980s. Some natural meadows may be kept clear of invading trees by snow-creep and periodic avalanches or fire.

Conservation status Edit

Causes of marmot population declines are numerous. Over the long term (i.e., periods involving thousands of years), climate changes have caused both increases and declines of open alpine habitat that constitute suitable marmot habitat.[29] Over more recent time scales, population dynamics may have been influenced by short-term weather patterns and systematic changes in the landscape. In particular, forest clearcutting at low elevations[30] likely altered dispersal patterns. Sub-adult marmots typically disperse from the subalpine meadows in which they were born. Dispersal involves traversing lowland conifer forests and valleys to other subalpine meadows. However, clearcutting has provided marmots with new open areas which constitute habitat. Unfortunately, rapid forest regeneration makes such man-made habitats unsuitable over a few years. One study concluded that clearcuts therefore act as a kind of population "sink" in which long-term reproduction and survival rates are reduced to the point of unsustainability[24] One 2005 study concluded the main cause of recent decline to be predation "associated with forestry and altered predator abundance and hunting patterns".[31] This study also revealed seasonal variations in mortality rates, where the probability of death was low during hibernation, and high in August.[31] Major predators upon Vancouver Island marmots include golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), cougars (Puma concolor) and wolves (Canis lupus).[32]

The population crash may also be due to the Allee effect, named after zoologist Warder Clyde Allee. Allee proposed that social animals require a critical mass in order to survive, because survival requires group activities such as warning of predators and migration. A decline below that threshold precipates rapid decline. Ecologist Justin Brashares suggests that at least some of the marmot's group behavior is learned, so that the loss of marmot "culture" has caused them to become more solitary, and interact aggressively rather than cooperatively when they do encounter each other.[33]

The endangered Vancouver Island marmot remains one of the world's rarest mammals. In 1997 there were so few numbers of marmots on Vancouver Island that managers took the bold step of capturing some to create a "genetic lifeboat" and therefore create the possibility of restoring wild populations. The first marmots went to Toronto Zoo in 1997, but this initial effort was quickly followed by efforts made by the Calgary Zoo and Mountainview Conservation and Breeding Centre in Langley, BC.[8]

In 1998 a new model for species recovery was born involving the government, private industry and public donors. A census in late 2003 resulted in a count of only 21 wild marmots known to be present on four mountains of Vancouver Island. After these findings, marmots were released from captivity in different places to try to get the population back up to a reasonable number.

These marmots are still classified as endangered.[34] The cumulative captive breeding program has steadily grown, with 130 individuals in captivity (2010) and 442 weaned pups born in captivity since 2000. A number of individuals have been released to Strathcona Provincial Park, Mount Cain, Mount Washington and more southern mountains.

Marmot Recovery Foundation Edit

The Marmot Recovery Foundation built a dedicated marmot facility on Mt. Washington, Vancouver Island to further facilitate captive breeding and pre release conditioning. The fundamental idea was to produce marmots in a fashion that would facilitate their eventual return to the wild. From 2003–2010 the Marmot Recovery Foundation and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment have released 308 marmots back into the wild.[35] More releases are expected in the upcoming years to increase the wild population, estimated at 250–300 individuals in 2010, and 350–400 individuals in 2013. The wild population was counted at 250 in 2021.[36] Due to conservation and recovery efforts, the population of Vancouver Island Marmots has increased drastically since 2003 to present day. Nevertheless, Vancouver Island Marmot populations continue to fluctuate due to natural events or increased predation, leading to an inconsistent annual mortality rate.[37]

Related species Edit

Based on genetic analyses, the closest relatives of the Vancouver Island marmot are the hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) and the Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus).[38] There is some debate, on genetic grounds, about which of the two nearby mainland species is most closely related to the Vancouver Island marmot or when marmots first arrived on the island.[39] The differences in DNA observed between species is small. In 2009, Nagorsen and Cardini identified, from museum specimens, substantial physical differences between species that can only be explained by rapid evolution in a relatively isolated island context.[40]

In popular culture Edit

Because of their endangered status, Vancouver Island marmots have become a conservation symbol in British Columbia.

In 2023 the Vancouver Island marmot was featured on a United States Postal Service forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set, based on a photograph from Joel Sartore's Photo Ark. The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota.[45]

References Edit

  1. ^ Roach, N. (2017). "Marmota vancouverensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T12828A22259184. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T12828A22259184.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. ^ Igawa, Momoko; Kato, Makoto (2017-09-20). "A new species of hermit crab, Diogenes heteropsammicola (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae), replaces a mutualistic sipunculan in a walking coral symbiosis". PLOS ONE. 12 (9): e0184311. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1284311I. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184311. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5606932. PMID 28931020.
  4. ^ a b c d Canada, Environment and Climate Change (6 December 2019). "Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2019". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  5. ^ Barash D.P. 1989. Marmots: social behavior and ecology. Stanford University Press, Stanford
  6. ^ "Hide and seek: The race to save the Vancouver Island Marmot". canadiangeographic.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  7. ^ Aaltonen, K; A.A. Bryant; J.A. Hostetler & M. K. Oli (2010). "Reintroducing endangered Vancouver Island marmots: Survival and cause-specific mortality rates of captive-born versus wild-born individuals" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 142 (10): 2181–2190. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.019. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  8. ^ a b Bryant, A.A. (2007). Soorae PS (ed.). "Recovery efforts for Vancouver Island marmots, Canada" (PDF). Re-introduction News. IUCN. 26: 30–32.
  9. ^ "Conservation Status Report". a100.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  10. ^ Brashares, Justin S.; Werner, Jeffery R.; Sinclair, A. R. E. (2010-06-09). "Social 'meltdown' in the demise of an island endemic: Allee effects and the Vancouver Island marmot: Allee effects and the decline of the V.I. marmot". Journal of Animal Ecology. 79 (5): 965–973. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01711.x. PMID 20546064.
  11. ^ Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Team (2008). "Recovery Strategy for the Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) in British Columbia" (PDF). Victoria, BC: B.C. Ministry of Environment. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  12. ^ Janz Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Team (2004). "National Recovery Plan for the Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) in British Columbia" (PDF). Victoria, BC: B.C. Ministry of Environment. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  13. ^ Marmot Recovery Foundation (2015). "The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis)". Nanaimo, BC. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  14. ^ "Current Status – The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation". Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  15. ^ Nagorsen, D.W (1987). "Marmota vancouverensis". Mammalian Species (270): 1–5. doi:10.2307/3503862. JSTOR 3503862.
  16. ^ Nagorsen, D.W. & A. Cardini (2009). "Tempo and mode of evolutionary divergence in modern and Holocene Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis)". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 47 (3): 258. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2008.00503.x.
  17. ^ Cardini, A.; Thorington, R.W. Jr & Polly, P.D (2007). "Evolutionary acceleration in the most endangered mammal of Canada: speciation and divergence in the Vancouver Island marmot (Rodentia, Sciuridae)". Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 20 (5): 1833–46. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01398.x. PMID 17714301. S2CID 13288283.
  18. ^ Kruckenhauser, L.; W. Pinsker; E. Haring & W. Arnold (1999). "Marmot phylogeny revisited: molecular evidence for a diphyletic origin of sociality". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 37: 49–56. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0469.1999.95100.x.
  19. ^ Blumstein D.T. (1999). "Alarm calling in three species of marmots". Behaviour. 136 (6): 731–757. doi:10.1163/156853999501540.
  20. ^ Bryant, A.A. (1998). Metapopulation ecology of Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis) (PDF) (PhD dissertation). University of Victoria (Victoria, BC).
  21. ^ "Animal Profile – The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation". Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  22. ^ Martell, A.M. and R.J. Milko. 1986. Seasonal diets of Vancouver Island marmots. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 100: 241–245.
  23. ^ Bryant, A.A. & M. McAdie (2003). "Hibernation ecology of wild and captive Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis)" (PDF). In R. Ramousse; D. Allaine & M. Le Berre (eds.). Adaptive Strategies and Diversity in Marmots. Lyon, France: International Marmot Network. pp. 159–166. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  24. ^ a b Bryant A.A (1996). "Reproduction and persistence of Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis) in natural and logged habitats" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74 (4): 678–687. doi:10.1139/z96-076.
  25. ^ "Animal Profile – The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation". Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  26. ^ "Animal Profile – The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation". Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  27. ^ Bryant, A.A. & D.W. Janz (1996). "Distribution and abundance of Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis)" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74 (4): 667–677. doi:10.1139/z96-075.
  28. ^ Milko, R.J. & A.M. Bell (1986). "Subalpine meadow vegetation of south central Vancouver Island". Canadian Journal of Botany. 64 (4): 815. doi:10.1139/b86-106.
  29. ^ Hebda, R.J.; O. McDadi & D. Mazzucchi (2005). "History of habitat and the decline of the Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis)" (PDF). In T.D. Hooper (ed.). Proceedings of the Species at Risk 2004 Pathways to Recovery Conference. Victoria, B.C. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  30. ^ Wilson, E.O: "The Future of Life", p. 52. Little, Brown, 2002
  31. ^ a b Bryant, A.A. & R.E. Page (2005). "Timing and causes of mortality in the endangered Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis)" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 83 (5): 674–682. doi:10.1139/z05-055.
  32. ^ Aaltonen, K.; A.A. Bryant; J.A. Hostetler & M.K. Oli (2009). "Reintroducing endangered Vancouver Island marmots: Survival and cause-specific mortality rates of captive-born versus wild-born individuals". Biological Conservation. 142 (10): 2181. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.04.019.
  33. ^ Platt, John. "Marmot meltdown averted: Vancouver Island species on the brink of extinction regaining social bonds". Scientific American. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  34. ^ COSEWIC (2008). "COSEWIC assessment and updated status report on the Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) in Canada". Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, Ottawa. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  35. ^ "Toronto Zoo > Conservation > Mammals". Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  36. ^ "Helping to bring Vancouver Island marmots back from edge of extinction". 27 February 2022.
  37. ^ BJORKMAN, ANNE D.; VELLEND, MARK (2010-11-11). "Defining Historical Baselines for Conservation: Ecological Changes Since European Settlement on Vancouver Island, Canada". Conservation Biology. 24 (6): 1559–1568. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01550.x. ISSN 0888-8892. PMID 20586787. S2CID 9073405.
  38. ^ Steppan, S.J.; Akhverdyan, M.R.; Lyapunova, E.A.; Fraser, D.G.; Vorontsov, N.N.; Hoffmann, R.S. & Braun, M.J (1999). "Molecular phylogeny of the marmots (Rodentia: Sciuridae): Tests of evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses". Systematic Biology. 48 (4): 715–34. doi:10.1080/106351599259988. PMID 12066297.
  39. ^ Kruckenhauser L, Pinsker W, Haring E, Arnold W (1999). "Marmot phylogeny revisited: molecular evidence for a diphyletic origin of sociality". J Zool Syst Evol Res. 37: 49–56. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0469.1999.95100.x.
  40. ^ Nagorsen D.; Cardini A. (2009). "Tempo and mode of evolutionary divergence in modern and Holocene Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis) (Mammalia, Rodentia)". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 47 (3): 258–267. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2008.00503.x.
  41. ^ "Van Isle marmots bundling up for prolonged winter, regular forecaster misses annual assignment". NanaimoNewsNOW. Retrieved 5 December 2021. Violet lives at Mount Washington but had a malfunction in her tracker battery so members of the foundation haven't been able to keep tabs on her since the summer.
  42. ^ Letterio, Amandalina (2021-02-02). "Vancouver Island marmots predict a longer winter - BC News". castanet.net. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  43. ^ "Van Isle groundhog Violet delivers her 2020 Groundhogs Day Prediction – The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation". marmots.org. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  44. ^ "B.C.'s own groundhog Van Isle Violet predicts long winter". INFOnews. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  45. ^ "Postal Service Spotlights Endangered Species". United States Postal Service. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.

Further reading Edit

  • Bryant, Andrew; Don Blood. "Vancouver Island marmot" (PDF). Retrieved 14 July 2009.. Species at Risk series, B.C. Ministry of Environment, Victoria, February 1999. 6 pp.
  • Champan, Joseph A., and George A. Feldhamer, eds. Wild Mammals of North America. The Johns Hopkins UP, 1982.
  • Markels, Alex (May 2004). "Last stand". Audubon Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  • Michael, Huchins, ed. "Vancouver Island Marmot." Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopidia. 16 vols. Gale, 2004.
  • Thorington, R. W. Jr. and R. S. Hoffman. 2005. Family Sciuridae. Pp. 754–818 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  • Wilson, Don E., and Sue Ruff, eds. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1999.
  • "Vancouver Island Marmot." World Book Encyclopedia. 13th ed. Chicago: World Book Incorporated, 2008.

External links Edit

  •   Media related to Marmota vancouverensis at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Data related to Marmota vancouverensis at Wikispecies

October 21, 2023
vancouver, island, marmot, marmota, vancouverensis, naturally, occurs, only, high, mountains, vancouver, island, british, columbia, this, particular, marmot, species, large, compared, some, other, marmots, most, other, rodents, marmots, largest, members, sciur. The Vancouver Island marmot Marmota vancouverensis naturally occurs only in the high mountains of Vancouver Island in British Columbia 3 4 This particular marmot species is large compared to some other marmots and most other rodents Marmots are the largest members of the Sciuridae family with weights of adults varying from 3 to 7 kg depending on age and time of year 5 Vancouver Island marmotIn Alberni Clayoquot Regional District British Columbia CanadaConservation statusCritically Endangered IUCN 3 1 1 Critically Imperiled NatureServe 2 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder RodentiaFamily SciuridaeGenus MarmotaSubgenus Marmota Petromarmota Species M vancouverensisBinomial nameMarmota vancouverensis Swarth 1911 Current distribution Former distributionMarmota vancouverensis is one of only five land mammals endemic to Canada 6 Although endemic to Vancouver Island Marmota vancouverensis now also resides successfully at several captive breeding centres across Canada as well as several sites on Vancouver Island at which local extinction was observed during the 1990s 7 8 9 There was an 80 to 90 loss in population starting around the 1980s and lasting until the early 2000s 10 The population has since started to regain its ranks This is the result of an ongoing recovery program designed to prevent extinction and restore self sustaining wild populations of this unique Canadian species 11 12 Due to the efforts of the recovery program the marmot count in the wild increased from fewer than 30 wild marmots in 2003 to an estimated 250 300 in 2015 13 As of the fall of 2021 there were approximately 25 colonies with marmots likely to emerge 14 These are spread between 2 metapopulations clusters of colonies that marmots could travel between and one isolated colony at Steamboat Mountain 4 There may be marmots in the Schoen Lake area but there has not been a confirmed sighting in that area for over 5 years 4 Contents 1 Description 2 Life history habitat characteristics and population trends 3 Conservation status 4 Marmot Recovery Foundation 5 Related species 6 In popular culture 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksDescription Edit nbsp Vancouver Island marmot skullThe Vancouver Island marmot is typical of alpine dwelling marmots in general form and physiology However this species can be easily distinguished from other marmots by its rich chocolate brown fur and contrasting white patches 4 No other marmot species naturally occurs on Vancouver Island 15 The Vancouver Island marmot as its name suggests is geographically restricted to Vancouver Island and apparently evolved rapidly since retreat of the Cordilleran glaciation some 10 000 years before present 16 Marmota vancouverensis is distinct from other marmot species in terms of morphology 17 genetics 18 behaviour 19 and ecology 20 An adult Vancouver Island marmot typically measures 65 to 70 centimetres from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail However weights show tremendous seasonal variation An adult female that weighs 3 kilograms when she emerges from hibernation in late April can weigh 4 5 to 5 5 kg by the onset of hibernation in late September or October Adult males can be even larger reaching weights of over 7 5 kg In general marmots lose about one third of their body mass during the six and a half months in which they hibernate during winter 21 Life history habitat characteristics and population trends EditThe marmots on Vancouver Island are exclusively herbivores and burrow dwellers like all marmots Over 30 varieties of food plants have been observed being consumed by marmots on Vancouver Island who typically switch from grasses in the early spring to plants like lupines in the late summer 22 Marmots hibernate for various amounts of time depending upon site characteristics and annual weather conditions Wild Vancouver Island marmots hibernate on average for about 210 days of the year generally from late September or early October until late April or early May They generally hibernate for shorter periods in captivity 23 Vancouver Island marmots typically first breed at three or four years of age although some have been observed to breed as two year olds 24 Male marmots have been noticed to mate with 2 or more females during mating season 25 Marmots breed soon after emergence from hibernation Gestation is thought to be approximately 30 35 days Litter sizes average 1 6 pups every other year and weaned pups generally emerge above ground for the first time in early July 26 Systematic marmot surveys have been conducted since 1979 with variable count effort and coverage of the Island 27 Suitable meadows are rare 28 compared to nearby regions of the British Columbian mainland or the Olympic peninsula of Washington State habitat scarceness is believed to be the primary reason for the rarity of this marmot species Most marmots live above 1000 metres elevation in meadows that face south to west It is believed that populations expanded during the 1980s Some natural meadows may be kept clear of invading trees by snow creep and periodic avalanches or fire Conservation status EditCauses of marmot population declines are numerous Over the long term i e periods involving thousands of years climate changes have caused both increases and declines of open alpine habitat that constitute suitable marmot habitat 29 Over more recent time scales population dynamics may have been influenced by short term weather patterns and systematic changes in the landscape In particular forest clearcutting at low elevations 30 likely altered dispersal patterns Sub adult marmots typically disperse from the subalpine meadows in which they were born Dispersal involves traversing lowland conifer forests and valleys to other subalpine meadows However clearcutting has provided marmots with new open areas which constitute habitat Unfortunately rapid forest regeneration makes such man made habitats unsuitable over a few years One study concluded that clearcuts therefore act as a kind of population sink in which long term reproduction and survival rates are reduced to the point of unsustainability 24 One 2005 study concluded the main cause of recent decline to be predation associated with forestry and altered predator abundance and hunting patterns 31 This study also revealed seasonal variations in mortality rates where the probability of death was low during hibernation and high in August 31 Major predators upon Vancouver Island marmots include golden eagles Aquila chrysaetos cougars Puma concolor and wolves Canis lupus 32 The population crash may also be due to the Allee effect named after zoologist Warder Clyde Allee Allee proposed that social animals require a critical mass in order to survive because survival requires group activities such as warning of predators and migration A decline below that threshold precipates rapid decline Ecologist Justin Brashares suggests that at least some of the marmot s group behavior is learned so that the loss of marmot culture has caused them to become more solitary and interact aggressively rather than cooperatively when they do encounter each other 33 The endangered Vancouver Island marmot remains one of the world s rarest mammals In 1997 there were so few numbers of marmots on Vancouver Island that managers took the bold step of capturing some to create a genetic lifeboat and therefore create the possibility of restoring wild populations The first marmots went to Toronto Zoo in 1997 but this initial effort was quickly followed by efforts made by the Calgary Zoo and Mountainview Conservation and Breeding Centre in Langley BC 8 In 1998 a new model for species recovery was born involving the government private industry and public donors A census in late 2003 resulted in a count of only 21 wild marmots known to be present on four mountains of Vancouver Island After these findings marmots were released from captivity in different places to try to get the population back up to a reasonable number These marmots are still classified as endangered 34 The cumulative captive breeding program has steadily grown with 130 individuals in captivity 2010 and 442 weaned pups born in captivity since 2000 A number of individuals have been released to Strathcona Provincial Park Mount Cain Mount Washington and more southern mountains Marmot Recovery Foundation EditThe Marmot Recovery Foundation built a dedicated marmot facility on Mt Washington Vancouver Island to further facilitate captive breeding and pre release conditioning The fundamental idea was to produce marmots in a fashion that would facilitate their eventual return to the wild From 2003 2010 the Marmot Recovery Foundation and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment have released 308 marmots back into the wild 35 More releases are expected in the upcoming years to increase the wild population estimated at 250 300 individuals in 2010 and 350 400 individuals in 2013 The wild population was counted at 250 in 2021 36 Due to conservation and recovery efforts the population of Vancouver Island Marmots has increased drastically since 2003 to present day Nevertheless Vancouver Island Marmot populations continue to fluctuate due to natural events or increased predation leading to an inconsistent annual mortality rate 37 Related species EditBased on genetic analyses the closest relatives of the Vancouver Island marmot are the hoary marmot Marmota caligata and the Olympic marmot Marmota olympus 38 There is some debate on genetic grounds about which of the two nearby mainland species is most closely related to the Vancouver Island marmot or when marmots first arrived on the island 39 The differences in DNA observed between species is small In 2009 Nagorsen and Cardini identified from museum specimens substantial physical differences between species that can only be explained by rapid evolution in a relatively isolated island context 40 In popular culture EditBecause of their endangered status Vancouver Island marmots have become a conservation symbol in British Columbia Mukmuk sidekick to the three official mascots for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics is portrayed as a member of the species The Victoria Royals hockey team mascot Marty the Marmot is based on the Vancouver Island marmot which the team created to represent the importance of the species to the Vancouver Island region The marmot was also the former mascot of the now defunct Victoria Salmon Kings hockey team Wild marmots Chopper Marlu and Van Isle Violet 41 42 Groundhog Day forecast via the Marmot Recovery Foundation at Nanaimo Vancouver Island 43 44 In 2023 the Vancouver Island marmot was featured on a United States Postal Service forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set based on a photograph from Joel Sartore s Photo Ark The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall South Dakota 45 References Edit Roach N 2017 Marmota vancouverensis IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017 e T12828A22259184 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2017 2 RLTS T12828A22259184 en Retrieved 12 November 2021 NatureServe Explorer 2 0 explorer natureserve org Retrieved 6 October 2022 Igawa Momoko Kato Makoto 2017 09 20 A new species of hermit crab Diogenes heteropsammicola Crustacea Decapoda Anomura Diogenidae replaces a mutualistic sipunculan in a walking coral symbiosis PLOS ONE 12 9 e0184311 Bibcode 2017PLoSO 1284311I doi 10 1371 journal pone 0184311 ISSN 1932 6203 PMC 5606932 PMID 28931020 a b c d Canada Environment and Climate Change 6 December 2019 Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis COSEWIC assessment and status report 2019 www canada ca Retrieved 2022 09 22 Barash D P 1989 Marmots social behavior and ecology Stanford University Press Stanford Hide and seek The race to save the Vancouver Island Marmot canadiangeographic ca Retrieved 2023 09 23 Aaltonen K A A Bryant J A Hostetler amp M K Oli 2010 Reintroducing endangered Vancouver Island marmots Survival and cause specific mortality rates of captive born versus wild born individuals PDF Biological Conservation 142 10 2181 2190 doi 10 1016 j biocon 2009 04 019 Retrieved 2009 07 14 a b Bryant A A 2007 Soorae PS ed Recovery efforts for Vancouver Island marmots Canada PDF Re introduction News IUCN 26 30 32 Conservation Status Report a100 gov bc ca Retrieved 2022 09 23 Brashares Justin S Werner Jeffery R Sinclair A R E 2010 06 09 Social meltdown in the demise of an island endemic Allee effects and the Vancouver Island marmot Allee effects and the decline of the V I marmot Journal of Animal Ecology 79 5 965 973 doi 10 1111 j 1365 2656 2010 01711 x PMID 20546064 Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Team 2008 Recovery Strategy for the Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis in British Columbia PDF Victoria BC B C Ministry of Environment Retrieved 2009 07 13 Janz Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Team 2004 National Recovery Plan for the Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis in British Columbia PDF Victoria BC B C Ministry of Environment Retrieved 2009 07 13 Marmot Recovery Foundation 2015 The Vancouver Island marmot Marmota vancouverensis Nanaimo BC Retrieved 2016 01 16 Current Status The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation Retrieved 2023 09 22 Nagorsen D W 1987 Marmota vancouverensis Mammalian Species 270 1 5 doi 10 2307 3503862 JSTOR 3503862 Nagorsen D W amp A Cardini 2009 Tempo and mode of evolutionary divergence in modern and Holocene Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 47 3 258 doi 10 1111 j 1439 0469 2008 00503 x Cardini A Thorington R W Jr amp Polly P D 2007 Evolutionary acceleration in the most endangered mammal of Canada speciation and divergence in the Vancouver Island marmot Rodentia Sciuridae Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20 5 1833 46 doi 10 1111 j 1420 9101 2007 01398 x PMID 17714301 S2CID 13288283 Kruckenhauser L W Pinsker E Haring amp W Arnold 1999 Marmot phylogeny revisited molecular evidence for a diphyletic origin of sociality Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 37 49 56 doi 10 1046 j 1439 0469 1999 95100 x Blumstein D T 1999 Alarm calling in three species of marmots Behaviour 136 6 731 757 doi 10 1163 156853999501540 Bryant A A 1998 Metapopulation ecology of Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis PDF PhD dissertation University of Victoria Victoria BC Animal Profile The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation Retrieved 2022 09 24 Martell A M and R J Milko 1986 Seasonal diets of Vancouver Island marmots Canadian Field Naturalist 100 241 245 Bryant A A amp M McAdie 2003 Hibernation ecology of wild and captive Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis PDF In R Ramousse D Allaine amp M Le Berre eds Adaptive Strategies and Diversity in Marmots Lyon France International Marmot Network pp 159 166 Retrieved 2009 07 14 a b Bryant A A 1996 Reproduction and persistence of Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis in natural and logged habitats PDF Canadian Journal of Zoology 74 4 678 687 doi 10 1139 z96 076 Animal Profile The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation Retrieved 2023 09 21 Animal Profile The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation Retrieved 2023 09 21 Bryant A A amp D W Janz 1996 Distribution and abundance of Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis PDF Canadian Journal of Zoology 74 4 667 677 doi 10 1139 z96 075 Milko R J amp A M Bell 1986 Subalpine meadow vegetation of south central Vancouver Island Canadian Journal of Botany 64 4 815 doi 10 1139 b86 106 Hebda R J O McDadi amp D Mazzucchi 2005 History of habitat and the decline of the Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis PDF In T D Hooper ed Proceedings of the Species at Risk 2004 Pathways to Recovery Conference Victoria B C Retrieved 2009 07 13 Wilson E O The Future of Life p 52 Little Brown 2002 a b Bryant A A amp R E Page 2005 Timing and causes of mortality in the endangered Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis PDF Canadian Journal of Zoology 83 5 674 682 doi 10 1139 z05 055 Aaltonen K A A Bryant J A Hostetler amp M K Oli 2009 Reintroducing endangered Vancouver Island marmots Survival and cause specific mortality rates of captive born versus wild born individuals Biological Conservation 142 10 2181 doi 10 1016 j biocon 2009 04 019 Platt John Marmot meltdown averted Vancouver Island species on the brink of extinction regaining social bonds Scientific American Retrieved October 27 2012 COSEWIC 2008 COSEWIC assessment and updated status report on the Vancouver Island marmot Marmota vancouverensis in Canada Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada Ottawa Retrieved 2009 07 13 Toronto Zoo gt Conservation gt Mammals Retrieved 2009 09 22 Helping to bring Vancouver Island marmots back from edge of extinction 27 February 2022 BJORKMAN ANNE D VELLEND MARK 2010 11 11 Defining Historical Baselines for Conservation Ecological Changes Since European Settlement on Vancouver Island Canada Conservation Biology 24 6 1559 1568 doi 10 1111 j 1523 1739 2010 01550 x ISSN 0888 8892 PMID 20586787 S2CID 9073405 Steppan S J Akhverdyan M R Lyapunova E A Fraser D G Vorontsov N N Hoffmann R S amp Braun M J 1999 Molecular phylogeny of the marmots Rodentia Sciuridae Tests of evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses Systematic Biology 48 4 715 34 doi 10 1080 106351599259988 PMID 12066297 Kruckenhauser L Pinsker W Haring E Arnold W 1999 Marmot phylogeny revisited molecular evidence for a diphyletic origin of sociality J Zool Syst Evol Res 37 49 56 doi 10 1046 j 1439 0469 1999 95100 x Nagorsen D Cardini A 2009 Tempo and mode of evolutionary divergence in modern and Holocene Vancouver Island marmots Marmota vancouverensis Mammalia Rodentia Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 47 3 258 267 doi 10 1111 j 1439 0469 2008 00503 x Van Isle marmots bundling up for prolonged winter regular forecaster misses annual assignment NanaimoNewsNOW Retrieved 5 December 2021 Violet lives at Mount Washington but had a malfunction in her tracker battery so members of the foundation haven t been able to keep tabs on her since the summer Letterio Amandalina 2021 02 02 Vancouver Island marmots predict a longer winter BC News castanet net Retrieved 5 December 2021 Van Isle groundhog Violet delivers her 2020 Groundhogs Day Prediction The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation marmots org Retrieved 5 December 2021 B C s own groundhog Van Isle Violet predicts long winter INFOnews Retrieved 5 December 2021 Postal Service Spotlights Endangered Species United States Postal Service April 19 2023 Retrieved May 11 2023 Further reading EditBryant Andrew Don Blood Vancouver Island marmot PDF Retrieved 14 July 2009 Species at Risk series B C Ministry of Environment Victoria February 1999 6 pp Champan Joseph A and George A Feldhamer eds Wild Mammals of North America The Johns Hopkins UP 1982 Markels Alex May 2004 Last stand Audubon Magazine Retrieved 14 July 2009 Michael Huchins ed Vancouver Island Marmot Grzimek s Animal Life Encyclopidia 16 vols Gale 2004 Thorington R W Jr and R S Hoffman 2005 Family Sciuridae Pp 754 818 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference D E Wilson and D M Reeder eds Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore Wilson Don E and Sue Ruff eds The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals Washington Smithsonian Institution 1999 Vancouver Island Marmot World Book Encyclopedia 13th ed Chicago World Book Incorporated 2008 External links Edit nbsp Media related to Marmota vancouverensis at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Data related to Marmota vancouverensis at Wikispecies Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vancouver Island marmot amp oldid 1178553349, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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