Tracking what's alive on Earth and what affects it.
Humans, now
On the wall: 1,000 or fewer left in the wild
Vancouver Island marmot
at least427
At least this many
2025
Marmota vancouverensis
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Counted 2025, by the Marmot Recovery Foundation.
At least 427 Vancouver Island marmots were seen in 2025: a minimum, not a total, counted by the Marmot Recovery Foundation.
At least 427 marmots were seen on Vancouver Island's mountains in 2025, and some go unseen every year.
How it was counted
The Marmot Recovery Foundation's figure is the marmots observed on Vancouver Island's mountains going into winter. Some escape notice every year, so it is a minimum (at least 427 in 2025) and not an estimate of the total.
This is the number of marmots actually seen, a minimum and not an estimate of the total, since some go unseen every year.
What moves it
Die-offs push the number down; the Marmot Recovery Foundation says they may come from weather, predators, or a mix of these.
- mortality events that may come from weather, predation, or both (large ones in 2014 and 2016). Source: Marmot Recovery Foundation.
Who is helping
The Marmot Recovery Foundation and its partners breed marmots and release them into the wild, repair habitat, put out extra food and keep watch on the marmots living there.
The next count
The count is annual. No date for the next count was known as of 12 November 2026.
Sources
Marmot Recovery Foundation
- Marmot Recovery Foundation Last checked 12 November 2026.
- Saving a species. One animal at a time. Last checked 12 November 2026.
What changed
- 12 November 2026 Added to Live Species, on the wall (1,000 or fewer): At least 427 (At least this many, 2025).
Next on the wall
The letter
The letter comes once a month, on the first Thursday. It gives what changed on Live Species, one animal up close and the humans figure for contrast.