Alaska marmot, Marmota broweri.
Listen to an Alaska marmot call here.

My research is focused on answering two questions regarding the Alaska marmot. What is the current distribution of this species? What is the geographic history of this species?

The Alaska marmot (Marmota broweri) was first described by Hall and Gilmore in 1934 as a new subspecies of the much more widespread hoary marmot (M. caligata). It has since been elevated to full species status based on karylogical and morphological data (Rausch and Rausch 1965, 1971; Hoffman et al. 1979). More recent phylogenetic analyses have confirmed this taxonomic distinction (Steppan et al. 1999). Furthermore, the Alaska marmot is one of only two mammal species endemic to mainland Alaska. It is known to inhabit boulder fields, talus slopes, rocky outcrops and similar high elevation habitats (Hoffman 1999). The documented distributional limits of this species, based on the few existing museum voucher specimens, suggest it is present in the Brooks Range from Lake Peters in the east to Cape Lisburne in the west. A single specimen verifies its occurrence in the Kokrines Hills near Horner Hot Springs and an as yet unidentified marmot skull suggests it occurs in the Ray Mountains as well. Anecdotal accounts well outside of this distribution have been reported (Howell 1915; Bailey and Hendee 1926; Hall and Gilmore 1934), but none have been corroborated with voucher specimens or other documentation, leaving the status of Alaska marmots poorly understood.