(No, not kosher in case you are wondering!)
More than you want to know...
Marmot, (genus Marmota), any of 14 species of giant ground squirrels found primarily in North America and Eurasia. These rodents are large and heavy, weighing 3 to 7 kg (6.6 to 15.4 pounds), depending upon the species. Marmots are well suited for life in cold environments and have small fur-covered ears, short, stocky legs, and strong claws for digging. Length of the bulky body is 30 to 60 cm (11.8 to 23.6 inches), and the short, bushy tail is 10 to 25 cm long. Their long, thick fur is slightly coarse and may be yellowish brown (usually frosted with buff white), brown, reddish brown, black, or a mixture of gray and white.
Marmots are found north of Mexico and in Eurasia from the European Alps through north-central Asia, the Himalayas, and northeastern Siberia to the Kamchatka Peninsula. They inhabit open country in mountains and plains, preferring montane meadows, steppes, tundra, and forest edges. All live in burrows that they excavate, and most mountain species construct burrows beneath boulder fields, rocky slopes, and crevices in cliff faces. This terrain provides protection from predators such as grizzly bears, which are aggressive diggers and a significant predator of the Alaska marmot (Marmota broweri) in the Brooks Range. Rocks and cliffs also serve as observation sites where the rodents sit upright watching for both terrestrial and aerial predators. When alarmed, marmots emit a sharp, piercing whistle and scurry to their burrows if danger persists.
(No, not kosher in case you are wondering!)