A Lonely Marmot Walked Through the Snowy Mountains of Suusamyr. Video

In the Suusamyr Valley, a local resident encountered an unusual marmot.

Talgat, sharing his surprise with a Turmush correspondent, recounted that in December 2025, in the snowy mountains of Suusamyr, he stumbled upon a solitary marmot. This behavior was atypical for the animal — instead of hibernating in its burrow as is customary during the winter period, the marmot was sitting on a slope covered in snow. “I guided it to the nearest burrow, and it eventually disappeared into it. But its strange behavior astonished me: it did not try to run away and showed no fear of humans. I had often encountered marmots in the mountains before, but this was the first time it happened in winter,” noted Talgat, a resident of one of the villages in the Suusamyr Valley.

Ecologist Alexander Sosnovsky explained that such behavior in marmots may be related to their lifestyle. “Indeed, when talking about deep sleep, people often use the phrase: ‘Sleeps like a marmot.’ These rodents hibernate for up to seven to eight months and are mainly active from April to August. By their third year, marmots begin to reproduce, and in May-June, 3-5 young may appear. As soon as they reach the size of a ground squirrel, the young marmots come to the surface and start playing under the supervision of adults,” Sosnovsky explained.

Marmots dig deep burrows, and in winter, the whole family gathers in a hibernation chamber. Interestingly, during this period, they expel weakened or sick relatives from the burrow to avoid endangering the entire family. These animals instinctively understand that a sick individual can infect others, and if it dies during hibernation, it could spoil the winter sleep for the rest. It is also worth noting that marmots can be carriers of dangerous diseases, such as plague. Therefore, if tourists or hunters encounter a marmot behaving unusually, it should be destroyed and the carcass burned,” the ecologist added.

According to Sosnovsky, the activity of marmots in digging burrows plays an important role in the mountain ecosystem. They bring layers of soil to the surface, aid in drainage and aeration of the soil, and influence the change of vegetation cover. Some species of mountain plants can only grow on marmot colonies created by these rodents.