Himalayan marmot
Encyclopedia
The Himalayan marmot is a marmot
found in the Himalayan regions ranging in elevation from 300 to 4500 m (984.3 to 14,763.8 ft). They can be seen in the Deosai plains
in Pakistan
and Ladakh
in India
. They are about the size of a large housecat
, and live in colonies. Marmota himalayana is closely related to the woodchuck, the hoary marmot
and the yellow-bellied marmot
. It has a dark chocolate-brown coat with contrasting yellow patches on its face and chest.
ethnologist Michel Peissel
makes a claim that the story of 'Gold-digging ants' reported by the Greek
historian
Herodotus
, who lived in the 5th century BC, was founded on the golden Himalayan marmot of the Deosai plateau
and the habit of local tribes such as the Minaro
to collect the gold
dust excavated from their burrows.
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
found in the Himalayan regions ranging in elevation from 300 to 4500 m (984.3 to 14,763.8 ft). They can be seen in the Deosai plains
Deosai National Park
The Deosai National Park is located in the Skardu, Astore Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan province, in northernmost Pakistan. The park is located on the Deosai Plains of the Greater Kashmir geographic region...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are about the size of a large housecat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, and live in colonies. Marmota himalayana is closely related to the woodchuck, the hoary marmot
Hoary Marmot
The hoary marmot is a species of marmot that inhabits the mountains of northwest North America. Hoary marmots live near the tree line on slopes with grasses and forbs to eat and rocky areas for cover....
and the yellow-bellied marmot
Yellow-bellied Marmot
The yellow-bellied marmot , also known as the rock chuck, is a ground squirrel in the marmot genus.-Description:...
. It has a dark chocolate-brown coat with contrasting yellow patches on its face and chest.
Herodotus - 'Gold-digging ants'
Research by the FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ethnologist Michel Peissel
Michel Peissel
Michel Georges Francois Peissel was a French ethnologist, explorer and author. He wrote twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions...
makes a claim that the story of 'Gold-digging ants' reported by the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, who lived in the 5th century BC, was founded on the golden Himalayan marmot of the Deosai plateau
Deosai National Park
The Deosai National Park is located in the Skardu, Astore Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan province, in northernmost Pakistan. The park is located on the Deosai Plains of the Greater Kashmir geographic region...
and the habit of local tribes such as the Minaro
Brokpa
The Brokpa are a small community of Dard people residing in the Dha-Hanu valley about 163 km southwest of Leh in Ladakh. They are thought by some to be the purist descendants of the ancient Indo-Europeans....
to collect the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
dust excavated from their burrows.