|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel - SPERMOPHILUS TRIDECEMLINEATUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Squirrel": "Squirrel" comes from the Middle English word
"squyrel," which came from the Greek "skiouros" for the animal.
Notice that the family name for these animals is "Sciuridae," which
may also be the derivation of our word "scurry."
Location: Canada to the southern United States.
Habitat: Prairies, golf courses, cemeteries, and other open areas.
Description: This ground squirrel’s back is covered with brown fur, which has a series of white stripes running longitudinally. The underside of its body is whitish. The female has 10 nipples. It can reach almost seven inches long, with another five inches for its tail. It weighs about one fourth pound.
Behavior: It eats many insects (especially grasshoppers), plants, and sometimes the meat of vertebrates. It will even eat other ground squirrels that have been killed by automobiles. It is active during the day and is generally solitary. It stores food in the burrow and builds round nests of vegetation. The squirrel digs a relatively simple burrow in the ground, with a well-hidden entrance.
Reproduction: Mating takes place in April, after emerging from hibernation. The gestation period lasts about 28 days and each litter has 5-13 young, which are born blind, hairless, and toothless. Weaning occurs in about 4-6 weeks, then the young fend for themselves.
Note: Among its many predators are foxes, weasels, cats, dogs, badgers, hawks, and snakes.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Squirrel Index to study other
squirrels.
From Address Labels to Zoo Toys... All Creatures Great and Small You'll Find It at the America Zoo Gift Shop Realistic Stuffed Animals & Animal Figurines Wildlife Decor for Your Home Animal Books, Magazines, and Educational Materials A Wide Variety of Wildlife Gifts & Apparel and Much, Much More  ↓ For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover ↓
Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo
|
