E-Fauna BC Home

Marmota vancouverensis (Swarth, 1911)
Vancouver Island Marmot
Family: Sciuridae
Introduction to the Mammals of BC

Photograph

© David Nagorsen     (Photo ID #8639)

Map


Distribution of Marmota vancouverensis in British Columbia.
Source: Map courtesy of David Nagorsen

Introduction


The Vancouver Island Marmot is an endangered species of marmot, and one of the world's rarest mammals. It is found only in high mountain regions of south-central Vancouver Island in British Columbia, in open subalpine meadows, on south to west-facing treeless slopes at elevations of 1000 to 1400 m (Nagorsen 2005). In BC, it is restricted to mountains in the Nanaimo Lakes area, and Mount Washington, but its previous range was more widespread on Vancouver Island (Nagorsen 2005). It is the only marmot species in BC that naturally occurs on Vancouver Island (Wikipedia 2012).

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeS1RedE (Mar 2008)



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Additional Notes

Read the Recovery Strategy for this species in British Columbia.

Species References

COSEWIC 2000. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Vancouver Island marmot Marmota vancouverensis in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.Ottawa.

Nagorsen, David W. 2005. Rodents and Lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal BC Museum Handbook. Royal BC Museum, Victoria.

Wikipedia. 2011. Vancouver Island Marmot page. Available online.

© 2014 E-Fauna BC  Contact us