High Sierra Topix

I think the video is probably better than any of the pictures I have. But I took a screen cap from it kinda showing the varmint from the side.

Well after looking at the second photo, my considered opinion is that I'm no wildlife biologist and I have no clue what
I'm looking at.

I'm no wildlife biologist, either, but I have photographed about a bazillion yellow bellied marmots and hoary marmots over the last forty years. Throw in a few porcupines and badgers. In the photo above, that animal has a marmot tail, and its walk is like a marmot. I was thinking about the unusual dark streaking, and I thought maybe it had gotten into some wood ash from a fire.

bobby49 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 17, 2020 1:51 pm I'm no wildlife biologist, either, but I have photographed about a bazillion yellow bellied marmots and hoary marmots over the last forty years. Throw in a few porcupines and badgers. In the photo above, that animal has a marmot tail, and its walk is like a marmot. I was thinking about the unusual dark streaking, and I thought maybe it had gotten into some wood ash from a fire.

Most marmots I see are quite a bit darker brown overall. Could this be a senior citizen marmot whose coat has just gone a different color?

I think the answer is yes. I've seen some pretty old yellow bellied marmots, and they tend to grow gray fur on top.

Hoary marmots, on the other hand, tend to be quite gray through their entire life.

c9h13no3 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:31 pm

Shawn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:19 pm Yeah, I was kind of wondering where the photo was taken.

Shadow lake inlet.

Ah, thanks. I should've known as I've been by there more times than I could possibly rationalize.

Wondering if it could be a porcupine with mange. The coloration looks a lot more like a porkie than a marmot, and the way it's moving suggests it's not particularly healthy. Mange isn't super-common in porcupines, but they sometimes get into rodent poison. If the poison doesn't kill them outright, it can tank their immune systems. Mange is one of the most common problems for any critter - bobcat, coyote, porcupine, even mountain lion - walking around with rodent poison in its bloodstream. And it's a widespread problem in even fairly remote parts of the Sierra Nevada.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brun ... -1.3405143

Definitely not a marmot. The ears are relatively large and the eyes are set on the front of the skull, like a predator, versus on the side of the skull, like prey. Nor is it a Sierra porcupine, they have obvious quills. Looks like an old, PREGNANT fisher cat.
Ed

I once saw the cutest little porcupine with such personality. Black round little guy going up the trail and mad at us hikers for being on it. In greece we have lots of them and I grew up playing with them in the village in northwest Greece. Key word, i was playing with them, not the other way. Been poked a few times Around langley and cottonwood lakes we have some ragged looking marmots.

We saw one along one of the San Joaquin forks near Red's Meadow - the only time I've seen one in the range, but they are there.