Matey marmots! Welcome to the Chinese town where 20 of the tame creatures live and eat with local herdsmen
- Some 20 of the creatures have made the Cuopugou scenic area their home
- They are now so tame that they eat with locals and allow them to pet them
PUBLISHED: 17:44 GMT, 26 August 2013 | UPDATED: 17:48 GMT, 26 August 2013
They are notoriously shy around humans, beating their tails and chattering their teeth to try to warn us off.
But in Batang, China, the coy animals have become so friendly with local herdsmen, they now share dinner together.
Some 20 of the creatures have made the Cuopugou scenic area their home alongside the farm workers.
Three marmots are eating at the Cuopugou scenic area, in Batang, China
Zha Xi feeds vegetables to a marmots. About 20 marmots live harmoniously with local herdsmen here
Two marmots seen out of their burrows. They are notoriously shy around humans, beating their tails and chattering their teeth to try to warn us off
Normally, when seeing an intruder, a marmot will become defensive and try to warn them off by beating their tail and chattering their teeth.
They will then emit a series of loud whistles to members of their colony to encourage them to run for cover.
Their cute and comical faces mean marmots have long been perfect subjects for wildlife photographers
But the animals here are now so tame they allow themselves to be petted by tourists
Bizarrely, the animals are heavier in the autumn, when they can weigh up to 8kg, in comparison to 3kg in the spring months.
Marmots stand at around 18cm tall and reach up to 50cm in length.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2402285/Matey-marmots-Welcome-Chinese-town-20-tame-creatures-live-eat-local-herdsmen.html#ixzz2dPXlEDyT
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