Our trip out to Grand Coulee in early May was filled with wonderful wild animals. I showed you the cute fuzzy critter we saw at Frenchman Coulee, and you were able to identify it as a yellow-bellied marmot. They’re so adorable! I kinda wish I could keep one as a pet, but since they’re not domesticated, it’s best to leave them out in the wild.

Turns out they don’t actually gang up on people. I knew danielwilliams was telling us a big ol’ fib. But it was absolutely in the finest tradition of Old West tall tales, so I shall share it here:

Best you didn’t approach… the yellow-bellied marmot is called such because it uses cowardly hunting tactics, luring prey in with adorableness and then the rest of the pride erupts from the ground swarming the victim until nothing is left.

Nicely done, sir!

B and I didn’t think we’d ever see one again, but when we dropped by Summer Falls, suddenly they were everywhere. I spotted this one first, looking yellow-bellied indeed. Well, at least quite cautious.

ZOMG, look at that fluffy red tail! Look at that adorable white spot on its muzzle! So cute! Ohnoes! I’m being lured to my certain death!

Look at that darling hind foot propped up against that basalt block! Look at that sweet little nose! They are adorable, aren’t they? They’re rock-loving critters who live off of grasses and sedges and stuff, so this habitat by the lake is utterly perfect for them. Aside from us being there harshing their mellow, they seemed quite content. They ran like blazes anytime they saw us, but then they’d venture out and go back to grazing. I didn’t manage to snap the whole herd of them – I couldn’t get close enough for a good shot, but I did get one.

The instant I tried to get closer, it had an oshit! moment and darted back toward the den, pausing only long enough to see if the big scary two-legged thing was still there.

I felt a little bad about disturbing them, but honestly, I was trying to stay far enough away not to spook them. They’re just yellow-bellied in ways other than having actual yellow bellies. I wish I could’ve seen the bellies! Maybe next time we’ll linger for a bit, and they’ll get comfy with us, and show off their cute.

Apparently, they can get comfy enough to be a nuisance. One even decided to hang out with diners at a restaurant, so all are not so timid. And yes, there are unconfirmed reports of them attacking people. Could danielwilliams have been right all along?

I also have discovered that what B and I stumbled upon may have been a polygamous family. Yes, our adorable wee beasties have harems! And they are quite the little social animals. It kind of makes me want to go live near a burrow full of them and watch the family dynamics, only I’d probably get upset when the boys are kicked out to fend for themselves. That’s one thing they definitely have in common with the FLDS families we’ve been reading about. Surplus males are seldom welcome in polygamous societies.

We were destined to see one last yellow-bellied marmot. As we left Deep Lake at the end of our trip, one was hanging out on the grass at Sun Lakes, and it was the cutest yet. Alas, it fled as I stopped the car and hauled out the camera, but we got some wonderful goslings swimming in a puddle on that stop, so that was a nice consolation.

And now, I must include this supremely cute yellow-bellied marmot posing atop Mount Dana in Yosemite.

Yeah, some of them may lure you in with the cute and then pounce in a group. This one is the Bruce Lee of marmots, I’ll betcha. It just sucks you in and then uses your momentum to toss you over the cliff. But could you resist? Look at that belleh!

If it turns out the poor ostracized boys make good and ethical pets, you know what to get me when Misha’s gone.