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Standing Tall
This Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel liked to rummage around for flowers and seeds before dashing up onto a high rock to eat while watching for predators, which made it easy to line up this photo with pines in the background.
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Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel
At first I thought this was some sort of chipmunk, but the plain face marks it as a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. (There were also chipmunks by the lake, but they were much more shy.)
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Marmot Scene
A fun fact about Yellow-Bellied Marmots: They’re so chonky, that if you listen carefully you can hear loose talus rocks go “clunk” as the marmots walk by. Fortunately, the marmots aren’t ambush predators, so this doesn’t hold them back very much.
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The Chonkiest Marmot
Miles Chonkington, the world’s widest Yellow-Bellied Marmot, briefly started at right guard for the San Francisco 49ers. He was released after he hibernated through most of the regular season.
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Thick and Fluffy
I have returned from a four day expedition to the Desolation Wilderness in the northern Sierra, where I discovered Miles Chonkington, a truly thick Yellow-Bellied Marmot. Miles enjoys long strolls on the talus, snacking on wildflowers, and long cozy naps.