Odd
Marmot 'makes home in motorway pothole'
Published Thursday, Apr 15 2010, 16:09 BST | By Mayer Nissim
A marmot has been spotted popping its head out of a motorway pothole in Montana.
Photographer Zack Clothier speculated that the creature might have made a den out of the hole in the Beartooth All-American Highway near Cooke City, Rex Features reports.
Clothier said: "I saw him at a distance but at first did not realise that it was in a pothole.
"I thought it was just sitting in the road as they do this quite often, but while setting up my tripod I saw a car approaching the marmot out of the corner of my eye.
"I thought for sure it would scurry out of the road to avoid being hit so I continued what I was doing, still observing from the corner of my eye. When the car got almost on top of it the marmot seemed to just melt into the road."
He added: "I could not see the pothole from where I was standing so at first I was just as confused as the motorists.
"I knew that the animal did not just pull a 'David Copperfield' and vanish without a trace, so I approached closer and saw the hole in the road.
"I am not positive whether or not the marmot actually lived in the hole but it never left it. When it finally stopped popping its head out I walked over to the hole it seemed to be quite deep and tunnelled to one side underneath the road, so it is very possible the marmot was using this as a den."
Photographer Zack Clothier speculated that the creature might have made a den out of the hole in the Beartooth All-American Highway near Cooke City, Rex Features reports.
Clothier said: "I saw him at a distance but at first did not realise that it was in a pothole.
"I thought it was just sitting in the road as they do this quite often, but while setting up my tripod I saw a car approaching the marmot out of the corner of my eye.
"I thought for sure it would scurry out of the road to avoid being hit so I continued what I was doing, still observing from the corner of my eye. When the car got almost on top of it the marmot seemed to just melt into the road."
He added: "I could not see the pothole from where I was standing so at first I was just as confused as the motorists.
"I knew that the animal did not just pull a 'David Copperfield' and vanish without a trace, so I approached closer and saw the hole in the road.
"I am not positive whether or not the marmot actually lived in the hole but it never left it. When it finally stopped popping its head out I walked over to the hole it seemed to be quite deep and tunnelled to one side underneath the road, so it is very possible the marmot was using this as a den."
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