The Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) is a large rodent with a dark chocolate-brown coat, contrasting yellow patches on its face and chest, and a dense, woolly fur that is rufous grey on the back and yellowish on the belly and limbs. It is about the size of a large house cat, with a body length of 45-67 cm and a tail of 12-15 cm. These marmots live in social colonies in the high alpine meadows of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, typically at altitudes above 3,500 metres.