Tarbagan Marmot

The tarbagan marmot is medium-sized compared to other marmots, with a 0.25 head-to-body ratio. During the summer, its hair is between 11–20 mm and grows up to 30 mm during winter months. Its fur has two separate slate bands, followed by a white band, and its cheeks are yellow. Its zygomatic arches are slightly expanded compared to other marmot species. Populations in western Mongolia tend to have wider skulls compared to other tarbagan marmots. Males tend to weigh more than females and are larger, both having an average weight of 6–8 kg. The tarabagan marmot is one of the two only marmot species to inhabit lowland areas, the other being the groundhog. The tarbagan marmot is herbivorous, like all other marmots, and consumes steppe grasses. It is mainly found throughout Mongolia, with its range extending west to the Altai Mountains, east to Inner Mongolia, north to Transbaikal, and south to the Dzungarian Basin, in the Gobi Desert.

The word "tarbagan" comes from Russian тарбаган (tarbagan), which originates from Proto-Mongolic and denotes specific rodent species; it is related to "targa", the word for beaver in the Ulch and Nanai languages. Other names for the tarbagan marmot include Siberian marmot and Mongolian marmot.