Long Tailed Marmot:
Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra brings thousands of pilgrims into a fragile Himalayan ecosystem where long‑tailed marmots live.
- Long Tailed Marmot is a rodent of the high-altitude areas of the Kashmir Himalaya.
- It is also known as the golden marmot and is a member of the Sciuridae family.
- It has vibrant golden fur and has relatively long tail, robust body, and golden-brown coat that vary among subspecies.
- It inhabits alpine meadows and rocky slopes, where its life is closely linked to the seasonal availability of vegetation.
- They are found in parts of Central Asia and South Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and Northwestern India.
- In India, they are found in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
- Herbivorous by nature, it feeds on vegetation in its alpine habitat.
- It is a diurnal and social mammal that thrives in challenging alpine habitats.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern
