Marmota caligata
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover. It is the largest North American ground squirrel and is often nicknamed "the whistler" for its high-pitched warning issued to alert other members of the colony to possible danger. The animals are sometimes called "whistle pigs". Whistler, British Columbia, originally London Mountain because of its heavy fogs and rain, was renamed after these animals to help make it more marketable as a resort. The closest relatives of the species are the yellow-bellied, Olympic, and Vancouver Island marmots, although the exact relationships are unclear.
The hoary marmot is a large, bulky, ground squirrel, with short, heavy limbs, and a broad head. Adults range from 62 to 82 cm (24 to 32 in) in total length, including a 17 to 25 cm (6.7 to 9.8 in) tail. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being significantly larger than females in most subspecies. Because of their long winter hibernation, during which they survive on fat reserves, the weight of the animals... Wikipedia →
Recording0:07
United States · 2021
© Matt Bowser · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:11
Canada · 2025
© Annie Pumphrey · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:22
Canada · 2021
© Katrice Baur · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 309 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 29 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Marmot in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hoary Marmot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Hoary Marmot sightings, Banff National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Glacier National Park (United States, about 60%) and Jasper National Park (Canada, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Hoary Marmot that you can see in Banff National Park (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (about 70%), Columbian Ground Squirrel (about 70%) and American Red Squirrel (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hoary Marmot is recorded against all the mammals logged in Banff National Park (309 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
