Marmota flaviventris
Yellow-bellied Marmots are large burrowing rodents with brown fur, yellow bellies, white muzzles and small round ears.
I had a great time photographing a roadside Yellow-bellied Marmot yesterday in northern Utah and the marmot was very cooperative. So cooperative that I took way, way too many images of it.
I am very fond of Yellow-bellied Marmots so when I spotted one clambering down some rocks into a crevice close to the road I became excited and as soon as I could I started taking photos of it.
Wow, today is the last day of the year 2016. This is my photographic year in review from Utah, Idaho and Montana!
Finding a Yellow-bellied Marmot next to its burrow in northern Utah yesterday was a real treat for me especially since it stuck around for a bit.
I was able to take images of a Box Elder County Yellow-bellied Marmot further south next to the road near the foothills of the Promontory Mountains.
The highlight of my morning yesterday was photographing two Yellow-bellied Marmots at Capitol Reef National Park.
The Yellow-bellied Marmots are already in their burrows for the winter but with any luck I will see more this coming spring.
Yellow-bellied Marmots are the western cousins of Groundhogs but unlike Groundhogs (Woodchucks) they aren't fabled critters that can predict spring and I am okay with that because spring gets here when it gets here.