September 2022: Marmot [Marmota marmota] (Murmeltier): I took this picture of a marmot in the morning of the second day of the crossing of the Alps with my class. We saw this marmot close to the cabin where we spent the first night. It seemed to be used to tourists as it let us come quite close. It warmed up in the morning sun - and so did we: in spite of this summer's endless heat it was quite cool in the morning at over 2000m a.s.l. In autumn the marmots must gain weight to survive hibernation. At this altitude the first snow pack used to come in September, but nowadays it can remain snow-free until late October or even November. This year the first cold spell occurred on September 17th and brought the first thin layer of snow down to about 2000m in the Swiss Alps - probably not yet a reason for dormancy for the marmots...
