Watch: Vehicles halt as two playful marmots take over mountain highway in unusual wildlife encounter

The video shows drivers remaining in their vehicles, refraining from honking or attempting to scare the animals off the road. After about two minutes of playful sparring, the marmots eventually stopped.

Watch the viral video here:

Hold on humans, we’re busy.. 😂 pic.twitter.com/0U2xVfrU6Q

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 10, 2025

The video accumulated over 10 million views, with an array of reactions from social media users. “I was rooting for the chubby fella on the right, but then he gave up,” a user wrote. “Props for these humans cars for actually stopping instead of just scaring them away. Class act,” another user commented.

“I’d gladly stop too. That confrontation looks so important to them,” a third user reacted. “This is the only fight we should be watching on X,” another user wrote.

According to What’s Not to Hike, marmots live in burrows found in mountainous areas or rough grasslands. These burrows have multiple entrances, allowing quick escapes from predators. Once the danger passes, a marmot will usually reappear to stand guard or resume eating. During hibernation, which lasts six to seven months, they sleep in these burrows, lining them with hay and sealing the entrance, huddled together for warmth.

Highly alert, marmots have excellent eyesight and can spot movement from far away. They often give a sharp whistle to warn others of danger, using a variety of calls to communicate. In addition to sounds, they rely on scent, cheek glands help them recognise one another, often rubbing faces in greeting.