Revised Distribution of the Alaska Marmot, Marmota broweri, and Confirmation of Parapatry with Hoary Marmots

• Published in: Journal of Mammalogy
• Main Authors: Gunderson, Aren M., Jacobsen, Brandy K., Olson, Link E.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2009
• Subjects: Feature Articles; Yukon; Brooks Range; Yukon river; Alaska
• Online Access: http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/90/4/859; https://doi.org/10.1644/08-MAMM-A-253.1

The distribution and taxonomic status of the Alaska marmot ( Marmota broweri ) have been the subject of much debate and confusion since the taxon was 1st described as a subspecies of the hoary marmot ( M. caligata ). As a result of its early association with M. caligata and a lack of focused effort to determine its range, our current understanding of the distribution of M. broweri is vague at best and completely erroneous at worst. Through a review of all museum specimens and published accounts of this species, field surveys, and the identification of previously unidentified marmot specimens, we have determined that the current distribution of the Alaska marmot includes not only the Brooks Range, but also the Ray Mountains and Kokrines Hills of northern interior Alaska. We report the 1st confirmed records of this species outside of the Brooks Range and a commensurate range extension of 400 km southward. The Yukon River appears to form the current boundary between the parapatric distributions of M. broweri and M. caligata in Alaska, but additional fieldwork will be necessary to confirm that the 2 species are not allopatric.