Distribution. High alpine areas of the Altai mountains of Central Asia.
Active about five months a year, the Altai marmot matures slowly and doesn't breed for the first three years. About half the adult females breed. Litters, while large (about six pups), suffer high first year mortality--less than 20% of the pups born one year survive to the next. Populations are declining. They are reported to have a single alarm call. They appear to hybridize with M. sibirica in Mongolia; hybrid vocalizations are reported to contain elements of both species' calls.