Yellow-bellied marmots spend more of the year underground than above it, emerging to sun themselves on rocks through the warm months before disappearing into hibernation once summer fades. That rhythm shows clearly in New Mexico’s records: reports jump from a handful in spring to 121 in July alone, then collapse back to almost nothing by October, tracking the marmot’s own active season about as closely as occurrence data can.
Carson National Forest holds 35 of the state’s named sightings, more than double the next closest location, Santa Fe National Forest’s 13, both high mountain forest with the rocky slopes marmots favor for burrows and lookout perches.
New Mexico ranks the species S2, Imperiled, a considerably more cautious standing than its secure global status, marking these northern mountain populations as a genuine state conservation concern rather than just a locally common rodent.
Full species profile
