Marmots are large
squirrels in the
genus Marmota, of which there are 15 species. Some species live in mountainous areas, such as the
Alps, northern
Apennines,
Carpathians,
Tatras, and
Pyrenees in Europe and northwestern Asia; the
Rocky Mountains,
Black Hills,
Cascades,
Pacific Ranges, and
Sierra Nevada in
North America; and the
Deosai Plateau in
Pakistan and
Ladakh in
India. Other species prefer rough grassland and can be found widely across
North America and the
Eurasian steppes. The similarly sized, but more social,
prairie dog is not classified in the genus
Marmota but in the related genus
Cynomys.