1. Hemoglobin, packed cell volume, erythrocytes, leucocytes, MCV, MCH and MCHC were determined for a population of Marmota flaviventris over a period of seven years. 2. There was no significant difference in hematology among years, between sexes, or between seasons for adults and yearlings. 3. Early season juveniles had significantly lower PCV, Hb and erythrocyte counts than did late season juv...

Current theory suggests that population dynamics are the consequence of the repro? ductive strategies of individuals. Individual differences should be expressed in reproductive output, dispersal, social behavior, and recruitment. Mirror-image stimulation (MIS; i.e., exposure ofthe animal to a large mirror) was used as an independent measure of individuality, which could be distributed continuou...

Cheek-marking in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) was studied by observations of cheek-marking in two colonies from 10 June to 6 August, 1996 and by experimental studies of responses to olfactory secretions from the perioral gland. The rate of cheek-marking declined significantly as the season progressed. Most cheek-marking occurred within 3 m of the main burrow system and was prim...

The presence of male siblings in utero influences female morphology and life-history traits because testosterone transferred among foetuses may masculinize females. Similarly, litter sex composition might alter the display of sexually dimorphic behaviour, such as play and allogrooming, since they are modulated by androgens. We explored whether masculinization alters the frequency of play and so...