Alpine marmots, often seen as cuddly creatures adorning Milka chocolate ads and appreciated by hikers, lead surprisingly brutal lives. Ecologist Christophe Bonenfant and his colleague Rébecca Garcia are dedicated to studying these “mega-violent” rodents and how climate change is intensifying their struggle for survival in the Alps.
The Harsh Reality of Marmot Life
Alpine marmots ( Marmota marmota) are social animals living in family groups. However, beneath their charming exterior lies a constant battle for dominance. These rodents reside in family units composed of a dominant pair and their subordinate offspring. The subordinates assist with raising young and providing warmth during hibernation, but only the dominant pair reproduces. They maintain their control through bullying, keeping the subordinates’ stress hormones elevated, effectively sterilizing them.
If a subordinate seeks to reproduce, they must challenge a dominant marmot for their territory, a fight that can even lead to the death of the parents. The victor’s first act is often infanticide, eliminating the existing young to avoid investing in offspring that are not their own. This ruthless competition has earned the moniker “Game of Burrows” by researchers, echoing the power struggles of popular culture.
The Impact of Climate Change
The warming climate is exacerbating these already intense conflicts. Data collected since 1990 reveals that the lack of sufficient snow cover, crucial for insulating burrows during hibernation, is leading to higher mortality rates among marmot pups.
Families depend on a thick snow layer to insulate their burrows, where they hibernate for half the year. Thinner snow cover leads to colder burrows, reducing the survival chances of young marmots, even with the combined warmth of their family. This diminishes the incentive for subordinates to remain in the family group, prompting them to seek their own territories earlier and intensifying the competition.
The increasing rate of dominant pair changeovers results in more frequent infanticides. Females are also producing smaller litters, a phenomenon attributed to the climate crisis. Although alpine marmots are not currently classified as endangered, their population is declining by approximately 4% annually.
Additional Threats
Climate change introduces further challenges. Marmots need open prairie spaces to detect approaching predators and alert their family members. However, as the Alps warm, the treeline is advancing, shrinking their habitat. New predators, like foxes, are also moving into the area.
The Alps are warming faster than many other regions globally, resulting in dramatic changes such as retreating glaciers and unstable rock faces. The year 2022 saw record glacial ice loss due to a combination of low snow, extreme heat, and Saharan dust.
Marmots as Climate Sentinels
The alpine marmot serves as a sentinel species, illustrating how human-caused global heating can rapidly transform the life of a species with a complex social structure. Their existence is becoming increasingly precarious.
After being studied, the marmot is returned to its territory, ready to face the ongoing challenges. The future of this alpine sentinel hinges on addressing the impacts of climate change and preserving its fragile habitat. The life of a marmot is, indeed, becoming more nasty, brutish, and short, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts.
