Hi everyone!
I’m Svenja
Kroeger, a PhD student from the University of Aberdeen (UK, Scotland) under
supervision of Dr. Julien Martin and Prof. Jane Reid. I study senescence in
yellow-bellied marmots and over the summer I spent three months at RMBL to help
with the data collection for this long-term study. I’ve had an awesome time
observing and trapping these adorable creatures and I’m looking forward to spending
some time with them next year too!
Over the last
months I’ve grown really fond of a lot of the animals that I’ve been observing,
so I’d like to not only introduce myself but also a couple of memorable marmots
that I’ve encountered during my time here. In the picture above I’m holding the
sweetest and smallest pup I’ve ever had the joy of getting my hands on: ‘Ghost’
- a tiny lady, weighing a mere 250 grams when she first emerged. Her name stems
from the fur mark on her back, which resembles the ghost in ‘pacman’.
Another marmot
that has definitely conquered my heart is this handsome guy in the picture
below, a sturdy male by the name of ‘Dandelion’ (aka ‘Dandy’). In fact he is
the first marmot I ever named! I’ve spent a lot of time watching him as he is
fairly comfortable with people nearby. Also, he’s sort of ‘the man’ in Gothic
town at the moment and as his name suggests he LOVES dandelions! I can’t wait
to see him again next year!
