As I was putting the video together today, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole, or, more precisely, a marmot hole.
Did you know that marmots, which are rodents (technically large ground squirrels), are also called rock chucks and whistle pigs?
The territory of yellow-bellied marmots in Washington overlap with hoary marmots, with the yellow-bellied variety making their homes in the lower elevations of the state. They live an average of 15 years and generally hibernate for eight months, reproducing within weeks after emerging from hibernation and giving birth to a litter of 3-8 after a short 30-day gestation period. Their social structure is varied and complex, prompting some researchers to use social attribute models, frequently used when studying primates, to examine their social structures. I haven’t read every word of this, but if you are interested, take a look at this paper. Now I think someone should be studying the marmots we have on the property!
You’re welcome for that marmot lesson. If you are still with me…
After my marmot deep-dive, I was looking at photos of infant chimpanzees clinging to their moms, when somehow I came across this really interesting story about adult male chimpanzees “kidnapping” an injured first-born infant from her young mom (don’t worry, everything turns out okay).
This is why you are here, right?
Our fellow animals who we share this big blue marble with are so fascinating. I never get tired of watching the chimpanzees at the sanctuary, whether they are expressing an instinctual behavior like carrying (their version of) a baby on their back, or they are just chewing a leek.
Thanks for taking a deep-dive into Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest through this blog.
There’s more! If you didn’t receive the e-news last week, or if you need a reminder, here’s a couple of things to have on your radar:
First:
We are hosting a virtual visit this Wednesday for Love a Chimpanzee Day! You can learn more and sign up for as little as $5 on this donation page: https://giving.chimpsnw.org/page/LoveChimps25
Second:
You can help a NAPSA sanctuary of your choice win a really cool mirrored enrichment item from Wildlife Toybox! Make a donation to the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance and nominate one of the following sanctuaries by writing their name in the message box on the donation form: Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Primates Incorporated, Black Beauty Ranch, Fauna Foundation, Project Chimps, Chimp Haven, Save the Chimps, or Center for Great Apes. If you donate $1,000 or more, you’ll be featured as a sponsor of NAPSA’s upcoming Workshop! The first named sanctuary to hit $2,500 will win a Looky Lou feeder.
Very interesting post today. Loved the marmot lesson. yy t t
I’m so glad you appreciated learning about our giant ground squirrels 🙂
I am glad to see the chimpers having a forage today. I hope that the Easter Marmots were able to distribute their wares widely around Young’s Hill and that all the chimpers found valuable prizes.
Always love seeing phtoos or video of Foxie and her dolls. Gret to see how easily she maneuvers with a doll on her back. No prob for her!
Thanks for the kidnapped chimp story. As someone recovering at home from knee surgery i can’t imagine the infant surviving the pain and paralysis of a broken hip. Strength and resilience!!
I hope the surgery went well and the recovery is smooth, Gaynell! Chimpanzee’s tolerance to pain and their resilience never ceases to amaze me!
Thanks, Diana! I’d wondered why one room of the new wing was graced with paintings of marmots in the mural; I’d never realized you had quite that many!
Do the chimps pay any notice to them? Do they borrow inside the chimps’ exploration spaces?
Me too, Linda……now I see the relevence! Do the chimps take any notice of them I wonder, or are they quite used to them because they see them on their walls each day?
I am constantly amazed by Foxie balancing those little dolls on her back so perfectly. When it fell off as she dismounted, I thought she would leave it there, but no……she knew, and couldn’t go home without her baby.
They do not burrow within the chimps’ habitats. I’m afraid the chimpanzees would not look too kindly on their presence… They are visible to the chimps, but as long as they stay out of the chimps’ home, the chimpanzees don’t pay much attention to them. Canines Abbey and Nala are a different story – they track their movements and practically jump through the windows to try to get to them. The marmots know they are safe, though. The sentry marmots will even yell at us humans if we get too close to their den.
Thank you, Diana, for sending me down the rabbit hole on the differences between marmots and groundhogs/woodchucks….who knew?! I had no idea marmots were that large! What do the chimps do when they see one? Better yet, what must the marmots think when they see the chimps?!
Little Foxie does have amazing balance. To think so many years later, she still enjoys her dolls. One of the many reasons I adore her.
The marmots seem even bigger this year, and I think their numbers have been increasing the last few years. Seriously, maybe we can find someone at CWU who would like to study them here on the property. I just answered a similar question to yours from Linda – the chimpanzees do not generally pay much attention to then if they remain away from the enclosures. I haven’t noticed the marmots paying attention to the chimps either. I think they all know they have their individual territories.
Thanks, Diana, for the very interesting story of the male chimpanzee kidnappers, very strange. I enjoyed the video of Foxie carrying her doll babies around with her but it always makes me feel a bit sad.
You’re welcome, Nancy! There have now been reports of several male chimpanzees raising orphaned infants, much to everyone’s surprise, in the last couple of decades, so maybe there’s an instinct there that the males were following. https://www.livescience.com/8052-altruistic-chimpanzees-adopt-orphans.html
Thanks for that link! Haven’t thry also seen a few cases of male gorillas caring for otphaned babies? (I seem to remember something on that, but maybe it was chimps).
On another note….we watch what kind of chocolate we buy (palm oils, child labor)… but now we have to worry about how it affects the chimps, too, right? Could you guys do a blog on products you can recommend?
certainly very nice marmot
I had to laugh as I often heard in old westerns someone being called “yellow belly”. In otherwards a coward. Did I detect a slight favoring of Foxie’s right leg? Thanks Diana as always for illuminating posts. Can’t get enough of Foxie.
She has hip arthritis :pensive:
Linda is correct – Foxie has arthritis in her hips, which we treat with medication every day. She still gets around pretty well and does a lot of climbing!