The forest-steppe marmot (Marmota kastschenkoi) is a rodent species of the marmot genus found in south-central Russia.[1] It lives in wooded forest steppe at an altitude of in a relatively small region located directly east of the upper Ob River.[2] It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the similar, more southerly distributed gray marmot (M. baibacina), but was separated mainly due to different diploid numbers.[2]
Forest-steppe marmots have a head-and-body length of, and light individuals weigh as little as in the spring (after hibernation) and heavy individuals as much as in the autumn (before hibernation). It hibernates for about 6 months starting in August or September.
In 2011, it was estimated that the forest-steppe marmot population consisted of about 14,000–16,000 individuals and had been stable over the last several decades, but earlier estimates have been both somewhat above and significantly below this figure.[2]