Belding's Ground Squirrel
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| Belding's Ground Squirrel | ||||||||||||||
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| Spermophilus beldingi (Merriam, 1888) |
Belding's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus beldingi), also called Sage Rat, is a squirrel that lives on mountains in the western United States. In California, it often is found at 6,500–11,800 feet (2000–3700 m) in meadows between Lake Tahoe and Kings Canyon.
This extensively studied rodent has a gray back with a buff-colored belly and sides, and is about 10 inches (25 cm) long. It often is seen sitting on its hind legs, watching for predators. It burrows where the earth is dry and soft enough to dig.
Belding's Ground Squirrels hibernate for about eight months of the year. Males emerge first—often in late April, when snow still covers the ground.
Usually, only a small portion of the larger, older males mate. Gestation is 23–25 days.
[edit] References
- A Natural History of California, Allan A. Schoenherr, 1992, University of California Press.
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