Marmota bobak
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Sciuridae
Marmota
Marmota bobak

description: 243. Bobak Marmot <i>Marmota bobak</i> <b>French:</b> Marmotte bobak / <b>German:</b> Steppenmurmeltier / <b>Spanish:</b> Marmota de estepa <b>Taxonomy.</b> Mus bobak P. L. S. Müller, 1776, “Poland.” Restricted by S. I. Ognev in 1963 to “right [W] bank of the Dnepr [River],” Ukraine. Three subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> M.b.bobakP.L..S.Muller,1776—EUkraineandacrossSRussiatotheVolgaRiver. M.b.kozloviFokanov,1966—CpartofthedistributionEoftheVolgaRiver,nearUlyanovsk(Russia)withuncertainEboundary. M. b. tschaganensis Bazhanov, 1930 — E part of the distribution in Kazakhstan with uncertain W boundary. Introduced into the Caucasus Mts (Dagestan, Russia). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head—body mean 490-575 mm,tail 106-130 m; weight mean 5-7 kg. Dorsum of the Bobak Marmot has uniform straw yellow to rust pelage, with snout and cheeks sometimes dark brown. Venteris slightly more pale than dorsum but with same color. Tail can have rust-colored core and is tipped in brown or black. Nominate bobak is darkest, and tschaganensis is the lightest; subspecies are geographically separated. <b>Habitat.</b> Grassland and shrub steppe habitats from lowland and mixed-grass to arid and wormwood (Artemisia, Asteraceae) steppes. Bobak Marmots can thrive in continuous rolling plains and grasslands and when associated with cultivated fields. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> The Bobak Marmot is herbivorous and eats grasses, forbs, and sedges including their leaves, stems, flowers, and bulbs. It will feed on agricultural crops, particularly cereal crops where available. <b>Breeding.</b> The Bobak Marmot inhabits burrows that contain a nest chamber in which young are born. Mating occurs in burrows soon after emergence from hibernation in late March or April. About 60% of adult females producelitters of 4-7 young in late spring or early summer; young delay dispersal until their third year when sexually mature. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Bobak Marmotis diurnal and active primarily around their complex burrows that may extend to 5 m deep and have conspicuous mounds at entrances. It hibernates in social groups in burrows for 6-7 months, emerging in March-April. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Burrow systems are extensive and complex—likely a reflection of the large communal social groups. The Bobak Marmot forms colonies of several families, with dominant male, adult female, two-year-old and one-year-old offspring, and young-of-the-year as the fundamental unit. Density of family groups in the Ukraine was 2-2 families/ha, and family groups consist of 4-5 individuals. Communication is primarily by vocalization and chemical or visual cues. Scent marking with oral and cheek secretions on structures and burrows appears to be used to mark territories. Individuals practice vigilance while standing on their haunches and emit a sharp piercing alarm call that elicits awareness and vigilance by group members. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Bobak Marmotis stable. Historically, they were hunted for food and pelts, and they have been a staple food for humans during periods of famine; some hunting continues. Major conservation challenge has been conversion of steppe into arable croplands. The Bobak Marmot has recovered from habitat loss and overexploitation during the past century partially through reintroductions including into the Caucasus Mountains. Attempts to re-establish it on the western part of its former range failed at least ten times; however, a reintroduction was recently successful in the Mykolaive Region of Ukraine. <b>Bibliography.</b> Nikol'skii (2009), Nikol'skii &amp; Savchenko (1999), Ognev (1963), Rashevska &amp; Semeniuk (2015), Rumyantsev et al. (2012), Thorington et al. (2012).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, pp. 648-837 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 817, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226