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Golden-mantled ground squirrel - SPERMOPHILUS LATERALIS
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: From southwestern Canada to the southern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Mountsinous areas with woodlends of fir, Norway spruce, and pine
Description: The color of its coat sets it apart from the other ground squirrels. It has a copper-colored head, the back is grayish-brown, the belly yellowish-brown, and on the sides of the body there is a white stripe edged with black as seen in chipmunks. It lacks the distinct black and white stripes seen on chipmunk faces, however. The female has 8-10 nipples. This squirrel grows to about a foot in length, one third of which is tail. It can weigh over half a pound.
Behavior: Like other ground squirrels, this species feeds on seeds, fruit, insects, and eggs, and has the same habit of storing food in its nest. It generally lives in colonies, but occasionally it is solitary. Its nest is in a burrow dug in the ground, often near a fallen tree trunk, bush. or rock. It hibernates from about October through to as late as April. This squirrel is a frequent visitor to campsites and shows little fear of people where it is not disturbed.
Reproduction: Breeding takes place after emerging from hibernation. Gestation lasts about a month, and 2 to 8 young are born in late spring.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Squirrel Index to study other
squirrels.
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