He Was So Yellow-Bellied Trivia Quiz

Answer: Because it whistles to warn others about predators.

Some of the yellow-bellied marmot's predators are wolves and eagles. When one marmot spies a predator it instinctively whistles to warn other marmots. They then dig a hole in the ground and hide, or hide behind rocks or other places.

Answer: Canada and United States

The yellow-bellied marmot primarily lives in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but they can be found in grasslands on rare occasions. Most of their habitat is in the western United States, with Yosemite National Park a popular location for them. They can be found less commonly in parts of southwestern Canada.

Answer: They hibernate the rest of the year.

Yellow-bellied marmots spend over half of the year hibernating. Because of their hibernation habits, the marmots are constantly eating during April through August. Despite this, they have a low calorie diet which makes their incredibly long hibernation a mystery to scientists.

Answer: He mates with multiple females who only mate with him.

The reproductive behavior of yellow-bellied marmots is sometimes referred to as harem-polygynous. That means that one male essentially takes a harem and mates with them. He will fight off other males to protect his females. Each harem will consist of the male and about three to five females.

Answer: Foxes

Foxes are predators of the yellow-bellied marmots rather than the other way around. Yellow-bellied marmots are omnivorous and will eat almost anything smaller than themselves. Food is often scarce where the yellow-bellied marmots live, so they do not have the option of being too picky.

Answer: False

Humans are not invading the territory of the yellow-bellied marmots. They live in mostly rocky, mountainous areas which are not generally developed by humans. While it is true there are some large cities (like Denver) near populations of the creature, it would be incorrect to say that it constitutes habitat loss.

Answer: Underground

Since marmots spend more than half of the year hibernating underground, it is no surprise that they spend 80% of their time underground. In addition to hibernating, marmots also are frequently underground when they are hiding from predators and looking for food.

Answer: 13-15 years

It is rare that a yellow-bellied marmot would live past the age of 15 as there is a constant threat of predators, although scientists believe the species would live much longer without such threats. If caught by a predator, the yellow-bellied marmot has no escape method other than hoping to outrun in, which would be unlikely.

Answer: True

Like most rodents, the yellow-bellied marmot can carry fleas and these fleas may carry the plague. Indeed, some members of the species have been found in the wild with plague-carrying fleas. Despite this, it is extremely unlikely that anyone who touches a yellow-bellied marmot for an extended period of time will catch the plague and there are no recorded cases of it happening. Yellow-bellied marmots carry sylvatic plague, the form of plague found in the wild rather than in urban areas.

Answer: Because they have yellowish fur on their belly.

Their belly fur is more of a cream/yellow color and not bright yellow like the yellow-bellied warbler, a bird. The fur on the rest of a yellow-bellied marmot is brown which makes the belly fur appear yellow. The belly fur can act as camouflage from predators since it blends in with the dirt when the marmot is underground.