Are these two alpine marmots waiting to hear news of spring from their distant American relative, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil? Truth be told, here in the snowy Eastern Alps of Austria, most marmots will likely sleep through Groundhog Day, which is celebrated in the United States and Canada each year on February 2. Alpine marmots hibernate for up to nine months a year in underground burrows, relying on fat reserves to stay alive. During this time, their heart rate lowers to 5 beats per minute and they breathe just 1 to 3 times per minute. Sleep well, little friends.
Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Cloudy with a chance of enlightenment
-
Rockin with the rockhoppers
-
A sizzling summit hides in the clouds
-
Peel Castle on St. Patrick’s Isle with the Isle of Man in the background
-
Everest s shadow on the Himalayas
-
The artists come to Venice
-
Party like it’s 5779
-
The wild heart of Tasmania
-
Take the Stairs Day
-
Dark skies over New Mexico
-
Loud waters
-
Remembering Krakatoa
-
Casting a vote for women s history
-
A step toward freedom
-
Halfway Day
-
Evidence of human habitation
-
The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
-
A tree amid the Tetons
-
A Christmas market with a long history
-
A special day for a special cat