iN PHOTOS: Mischievous marmots in Kamloops, Okanagan

While marmots can be pesky and cause damage to crops, golf courses and sports fields with their prolific burrowing behaviours, a lot of people in the Thompson-Okanagan region enjoy their comical antics and take photographs of them.

Sometimes, perfectly amusing moments are captured as the stocky ground squirrels fight with each other or curiously inspect cameras with their long teeth exposed.

There are four species of marmots in the province, the hoary marmot, yellow-bellied marmot, woodchuck and Vancouver Island marmot, according to WildSafeBC. The species of marmot most commonly found in the Thompson-Okanagan region is the yellow bellied marmot which is well-adapted to urban areas and found in disturbed sites around human development.

They emerge from their dens every spring and give birth to an average of four babies per mating pair, and they can be very entertaining to watch.

All marmots are protected under the BC Wildlife Act and WildSafeBC discourages anyone from approaching them or feeding them.