Marmota bobak (Müller, 1776)

Common and Scientific Name

The bobak marmot, scientifically named Marmota bobak (Müller, 1776), is also commonly called the steppe marmot.

Habitat and Sociality

It is a social species of marmot that lives in the steppes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, specifically occupying steppe grasslands including the borders of cultivated fields.

Hibernation and Active Period

This species hibernates for more than half of each year, staying active for only around five and a half months annually.

Litter Size

On average, litters contain about five offspring.

Sexual Maturity

Young marmots take three years to reach sexual maturity.

Dispersal and Reproductive Rate

Male offspring leave their home colony after their second winter hibernation, and roughly 60% of mature females produce offspring in any given year.

Native Range

The bobak marmot is native to the steppes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Current Range Extent

Its current range extends from central and eastern Ukraine, through far southwestern Russia, to northern and central Kazakhstan.

Historical Range Discontinuity

Historically, the species had a continuous range, but it has been extirpated from several areas including its former range in southeastern Belarus and eastern Hungary, leaving its overall current range discontinuous.

Range Recovery

It has been reintroduced to some locations, and its range is slowly expanding again.

Hybrid Zone with Gray Marmot

In the highlands of Kazakhstan, the bobak marmot comes into contact with the gray marmot, and animals in this contact zone typically show intermediate physical features.

Burrow and Population Survey

In 2019, scientists Alyona Koshkina, Johannes Kamp, and other researchers used satellite imagery to map 7,000 bobak marmot burrows across Kazakhstan's steppes; these burrows host an estimated population of approximately six million marmots.

Ecological Analog

The bobak marmot is often described as a large ecological analog of the North American prairie dog.

Physical Characteristics

It has a rounded abdomen, stubby legs, and a short tail.

Preferred Habitat

It lives in steppe ecosystems and thrives on rolling grasslands and at the edges of cultivated fields.

Natal Dispersal

Dispersing individuals leave their natal social group after their second hibernation.

Alarm Call Variation

This species only has a single type of alarm call, but studies show that bobak marmots produce this call faster when they occupy steep terrain, and slower when they live on flatter terrain.

Fur Use

The fur of the bobak marmot is used to make hats and occasional coats.

Captive Breeding for Fur

A fur farm outside Moscow is currently experimenting with captive breeding of bobak marmots to produce fur for commercial use.

Bubonic Plague Susceptibility

Like other marmot species, the bobak marmot is susceptible to infection with bubonic plague.

Plague Reservoir History

A population of bobak marmots in the Ural Mountains is thought to have acted as a reservoir host for the bubonic plague epidemic that affected western Russia in the late 19th century.

Predation and Prey Role

Snow leopards prey on bobak marmots, and the species can also act as a buffer prey for snow leopards when other prey is unavailable.