In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Yellow Bellied Marmot in 6 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Yellow Bellied Marmot.
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How to Draw a Yellow Bellied Marmot - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: The yellow bellied marmot is a ground squirrel. To draw the head, make a circle with three lumps at the bottom.
Step 2: Make the middle lump more of a circle to make the snout and add a nose. Then give your marmot eyes.
Step 3: Next draw the body. It curves around the head.
Step 4: Draw the front legs. The arms curve toward the center and they have hand-like paws.
Step 5: Add a short, thick tail. Your yellow bellied marmot is complete! If you'd like to color your picture, make the belly a yellow-orange and the rest of your marmot is brown.
Interesting Facts about the Yellow-Bellied Marmot
Yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) are medium sized rodents found in southwest Canada and the western United States. Yellow-bellied marmots spend most of their time in their burrow, and more than half of their life hibernating.
Did you know?
- The yellow-bellied marmot has coarse hair that looks brown, because it is lighter at the tips and becomes darker at the base. They have yellow spots on their neck and their belly is yellow, resulting in their name.
- Different sub-species of yellow-bellied marmots have different colored feet, ranging between tan, hazel, or dark brown.
- Males are longer and heavier than females. They can grow to be about eight inches long and can weigh up to ten pounds.
- It has the nickname “whistle pig,” due to the sound it makes when warning other marmots of predators.
- The yellow-bellied marmot’s main predators are eagles, wolves, foxes and coyotes. They often build their burrows under rocks because it will help hide them from predators.
- Males dig the burrows, and often take three to four female mates who will live in their burrows with them.
Lesson plan note: Not a lot is known about how yellow-bellied marmots interact and raise their young. Discuss why it is so difficult to observe such interactions.
How to Draw a Yellow-Bellied Marmot – Step-by-Step Tutorial