Cave bones of the Vancouver Island marmot by David Nagorsen Mammal Curator, Royal British Columbia Museum December 1996 Historical records indicate that the Vancouver Island marmot was more widespread in the past. Yet, it is not clear why this marmot is so rare or why its range has decreased in historical time. The recent discovery of ancient bones from the Vancouver Island Marmot in six caves suggests that the key to understanding the present distribution of this endangered species may lie in the past.
Historical records indicate that the Vancouver Island marmot was more widespread in the past.
Yet, it is not clear why this marmot is so rare or why its range has decreased in historical time. The recent discovery of ancient bones from the Vancouver Island Marmot in six caves suggests that the key to understanding the present distribution of this endangered species may lie in the past. The cave bone research began in 1988 when bones representing 13 Vancouver Island marmots were found in a small cave in an isolated mountain range on the Clayoquot Plateau, west of Port Alberni. The find became even more significant when a laboratory at the University of Toronto that specializes in dating bones determined from radiocarbon dating that the bones were about 2,600 years old. This is a photo of the typical alpine topography of the cave sites in question.