For Camera Critters and Scenic Sunday, I am taking you back up into the vast alpine belt of the far western Mongolian province of Hovd. There in the desolate wilderness we did not see many wild animals.
So when our driver Magsar spotted this furry ball, he stopped the van and went out for a closer look.
Mongolia, 2007
What his keen eye had seen is this little creature.
It's a marmot, a Mongolian marmot, a rodent species closely related to the squirrel and groundhog. Marmots live in mountainous areas, eat mainly greens and hibernate in burrows through the long winters. This chubby little fella looks pretty well satiated to me, don't you agree?
A final piece of trivia: Marmots are hunted during a designated season - usually late summer or early fall when their furs are perfect - and are roasted on an open fire with hot stones in the cleaned belly to cook it inside and out. You can read about boodog, this Mongolian cooking style, in gory detail here.
I know that fur is beautiful,I am a meat eater and hubby is hunter,as a matter fact he is gone hunting venison right now,but I don't know if I could eat boodog,teehehehe.
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Happy to meet you!
~Jo
Marmots are adorable looking creatures. And he has a nice coloured fur, which I guess helps him to blend in with his surroundings, since there is not much in the way of hiding places unless he starts burrowing.
ReplyDeleteYup! Looks like the groundhogs that attempt to attack my garden. Cwazzzy varmint.
ReplyDeleteHaving read the recipe boodog doesn't sound very appetising! No wonder so much vodka is consumed - I'm sure it deadens the palate;-)
ReplyDeleteMakes me kinda glad I'm not a marmot!
ReplyDelete;)
PS. And the poem is just fine. Hope you win some converts to losing that annoying word verification!
Your marmot has a beautiful coat. It looks prettier than the groundhogs I see in my yard. Great shots. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteSo cute little creature!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend:)
Great and unusual photo.
ReplyDeleteDarryl and Ruth :)
What a gorgeous animal. It's really a shame they're hunted but I do understand the need for people to eat and thinning the herd. Still breaks my heart.
ReplyDeleteIt's one animal i just learned today, and it is eaten?
ReplyDeleteI can see the resemblence to both the squirrel and the groundhog. he's a cutie, not sure I'd want to eat him. your first shot is gorgeous! happy weekend to you Francisca.
ReplyDeleteSad that these beautiful animals are hunted.
ReplyDeleteExcellent photos.
Regards and best wishes
nice shots and first time i a m seeing that creature
ReplyDeletethats a fine creature! it makes me sad that they would hunt them down for their fur =(
ReplyDeleteMy Photo Meme Blog
Not gonna eat one, no matter what! Cute little critter. That certainly is a desolate area.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you. Out with knee surgery after a fall on a golf course in Tennessee...but am recovering - slowly! :-)
It seems amazing that anything can survive in that vast empty area, let alone something so cute.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting find! Not an animal I'd expect to see in the desert.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to eat that thing, I want it curled up on my lap purring. I know, I know...
ReplyDeleteI just went to the link. Those illustrations get right to the point!
ReplyDeleteI used to see lots of marmots in the BC interior when I was out walking my little dog. I don't think I'd want to eat one, but we have far more grocery stores in Canada than they have in Mongolia.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Cute little guy. I hope this one doesn't end its life being roasted :(
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely furry ball of a critter. Hope he manages to survive the hunting season.
ReplyDeleteThat's an out of the way place for a vacation, Francesca:):)
ReplyDeleteDon't know if I could eat this little animal.
Such a beautiful creature, can't think of killing it.
ReplyDeleteWow, one little animal in that vast empty scene!
ReplyDeleteOnce I took the cog railway 2000 meters up to Rochers-de-Naye, an imposing rock formation above Montreux, Switzerland. And way on top was the Marmot Paradise! You could see them in glass-sided burrows and hear their shrill calls on the mountains.
BTW, they also have Mongolian yurts up there for overnights.
http://www.wanderland.ch/en/orte_detail.cfm?id=315407
And I'm curious what parts you found perplexing in the monk movie.
It's interesting there is a chubby animal in such a deserted place.I didn't know about a marmot well. Mongolian need protein but...
ReplyDeleteAnyway I'm amazed you went so far western Mongolia.
Thank you for sharing a chubby creature.
Not sure I'll go see the gore today...but wanted to say how lonely he looks out in all that vastness. And how glad I am that you share all this stuff:)
ReplyDeleteI love its color! What a cutie. Nice pix!
ReplyDeleteIt looks too cute to eat! :)
ReplyDeleteCute little fella -- and yeah he does look quite well fed. I think I'll skip the link. Just getting ready to cook a veggie dinner and don't want to feel deprived ;>)
ReplyDeleteNice color of the fur, makes a fine boa, maybe?
ReplyDeleteI see it could curl like a round ball.
What a great spotting! But why didn't the marmot run away? Any idea?
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