Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria

© blickwinkel/Alamy

Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria

Alpine marmots can be found in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, like here in the snowy Eastern Alps of Austria. The pint-sized mountaineers hibernate for up to nine months a year in underground burrows, relying on fat reserves to stay alive. During this time, their heart rate lowers to five beats per minute and they breathe just one to three times per minute. Sleep well, little friends.