Hoary marmots hibernate for about how many months each year?

Hoary marmots hibernate for about seven to eight months each year.

The hoary marmot, Marmota caligata, lives across mountainous parts of northwestern North America, including Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, and the Yukon region. In these cold environments, snow can cover alpine meadows for most of the year, so the animals spend the short growing season feeding and storing energy for winter.

Colonies typically maintain one large hibernaculum along with smaller sleeping and refuge burrows. The hibernaculum is deeper and more complex, with chambers lined by plant material. Hoary marmots remain underground through much of the cold season, then emerge in spring, often around May depending on elevation and local conditions.

The species is sometimes confused with the Alaska marmot, which also occurs in Alaska and has a similarly long hibernation. Hoary marmots are distinguished in part by their characteristic pale facial patch. They are also famous for their high-pitched alarm calls, which earned them the nickname “whistle pigs.”