Aberrations of the alarm call of the steppe marmot, Marmota bobak (Rodentia, Sciuridae)

Aberrations, or deviations from the normal type of alarm call, have been studied in the steppe marmot. One regular and several rare aberrations have been identified. The regular aberration manifests itself in all six populations studied, from the Kharkov Region in the west to the eastern border of the Orenburg Region in the east, with its frequency in the populations varying in different years from 10 to 66%. Rare aberrations occur sporadically and not in all populations. © 2008 MAIK Nauka.