This is a Hoary Marmot from Alaska. Taken inside Denali Natl Park,Alaska. Marmota caligata The hoary marmot, so called because of the mantle of white fur which covers his shoulders and back, is well known to hikers in the western mountains of North America. A high-pitched whistle often welcomes visitors to the alpine country and warns the members of the colony of approaching danger. Fattened by a summer of feeding on lush alpine plants, marmots, like some other members of the squirrel family, spend the seven winter months in hibernation far beneath the snow. These animals, sometimes called whistlers, are slightly larger than their relative the woodchuck and can weigh up to 13.5 kg. Thier cousin the Yellow Bellied Marmot is Brown with a yellowish underbelly and can be found through out the Western United States.This animal has many different names. One name is a woodchuck. Other names are groundhog, whistling pigs, or marmot. Even though there are so many different names, they all mean the same animal. It is a member of the squirrel family.West of the Great Plains they are called Maromots, East of the Plains they are called Groundhogs/woodchucks