Question

For a research study, 65 marmots were tagged and set free. Later, the researchers returned

to the site and found 17 tagged marmots out of the 340 marmots they counted. To the
nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the marmot population?
Submit

Answer 1

We assume the tagged marmots are evenly spread through the population and have the same chance of being caught.
If P represents the population total
Then 65/P = 17/340
Cross multiply to remove the fractions
17P = 65 x 340
P = 65 x 340 / 17 = 1300
The total population of marmots is around 1300