Recently, while hiking with his dog in Washington’s North Cascades National Park, Cameron Herbolsheimer heard an odd noise. It sounded like a high-pitched beeping, almost like a smoke alarm going off.
Herbolsheimer wasn’t quite persuaded the sound came from the wilderness, miles away from civilization.
He said to The Dodo, “I thought it may be an animal, but I wasn’t sure.”
Herbolsheimer thus drew nearer to investigate what — or who — was causing the loud noise. As it turns out:
No one ever told me about this
Turns out, the sound was emanating from one of the region’s most iconic residents — a hoary marmot. The species, also known as whistle pigs, is known for their high, shrieking call. But this was news to Herbolsheimer.
“I have seen marmots before,” Herbolsheimer said. “But had never known they scream/whistle like that.”
More interesting yet, the marmot that day may very well have been “talking” about him.
The marmot could have felt it best to warn her other marmots if she had spotted Herbolsheimer and his dog in the distance.
In a publication on the issue, scientist Daniel T. Blumstein noted that marmots that hear these vocalizations “react by instantly searching around and returning to their burrows, if they are not already at one.
Marmots frequently make warning calls when they spot natural predators like coyotes and foxes, as well as occasionally when they spot eagles and other large birds. When they spot a person, marmots may alarm call, depending on where they dwell and how used they are to humans.
Fortunately, neither Herbolsheimer nor his dog intended to hurt the obnoxious little creature. He just continued going through after that encounter since his curiosity regarding the high-pitched sound had been delightfully satiated:
I was absolutely taken aback that it was marmots, he said.
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