summer. The feet have slightly curved claws, which are somewhat larger on the fore feet than on the hind feet. The feet have hairless pads, enhancing their grip. The tail is long, slightly flattened, and covered with dense fur. Apart from the larger size of the males, both sexes have a similar appearance. Females have five pairs of teats, running from the pectoral to the inguinal regions. Distribution and habitat The hoary marmot predominantly inhabits mountainous alpine environments to elevation, although coastal population also occur at or near sea level in British Columbia and Alaska. Hoary marmots occur from southern Washington and central Idaho north, and are found through much of Alaska south of the Yukon River. They live above the tree line, at elevations from sea level to , depending on latitude, in rocky terrain or alpine meadows dominated by grasses, sedges, herbs, and Krummholz forest patches. Range maps often erroneously depict hoary marmots occurring north of the Yukon River in Alaska, this region is occupied by the Alaska marmot (M. broweri) and not the hoary marmot. Hoary marmots also occur on several islands in Alaska and fossils dating back to the Pleistocene, including some from islands no longer inhabited by the species. The three currently recognized subspecies are: Marmota caligata caligata – Alaska, Yukon, NW Territories, northern British Columbia Marmota caligata cascandensis – Cascade Mountains, from British Columbia to Washington Marmota caligata okanagana – Rocky Mountains, from Yukon to Montana and Idaho Behaviour and diet Hoary marmots are diurnal and herbivorous, subsisting on leaves, flowers, grasses, and sedges. Predators include golden eagles, grizzly and black bears, wolverines, coyotes, red foxes, lynxes, wolves, and cougars. They live in colonies of up to 36 individuals, with a home range averaging about . Each colony includes a single, dominant, adult male, up to three adult females, sometimes with a subordinate adult male, and a number of young and subadults up to two years of age. The marmots hibernate seven to eight months a year in burrows they excavate in the soil, often among or under boulders. Each colony typically maintains a single hibernaculum and a number of smaller burrows, used for sleeping and refuge from predators. The refuge burrows are the simplest and most numerous type, consisting of a single bolt hole deep. Each colony digs an average of five such burrows a year, and a mature colony may have over