Beechey ground squirrel
California ground squirrels are common and easily observed ground squirrels of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula. Their fur contains a mixture of gray, light brown, and dusky hairs; the underside is lighter, buff or grayish-yellow. The fur around their eyes is whitish, while that around the ears is black. The tail is quite bushy for a ground squirrel, and at a quick glance, these squirrels can be mistaken with Fox squirrels.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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AestivationAestivation is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is chara...
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Camouflaged Animals
California ground squirrels are found in the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula (northwestern Mexico). They are common in Oregon and California and their range has recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada. California ground squirrels inhabit farmlands, fields, chaparral, pastures, and open grassy areas.
California ground squirrels are social creatures that live in burrows which they excavate themselves. Some burrows are occupied communally but each individual squirrel has its own entrance. Although they readily become tame in areas used by humans, and quickly learn to take food left or offered by picnickers, they spend most of their time within 25 m (82 ft) of their burrow and rarely go further than 50 m (160 ft) from it. California ground squirrels are diurnal being active during the day. They like to spend time sunning on warm days. During foraging, they use cheek pouches to collect more food than they could eat in one sitting and store food to consume later. In the colder parts of their range, California ground squirrels hibernate for several months, but in areas where winters have no snow, most squirrels are active year-round. In those parts where the summers are hot, they may also estivate for periods of a few days. These squirrels use different sounds, tail signals, and scent production in order to communicate with one another.
California ground squirrels are considered to be mostly herbivores. Most of their diet includes seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, and sometimes roots.
California ground squirrels have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system. This means that both males and females in this species have multiple mates during the breeding time. The mating season takes place in early spring and lasts only for a few weeks. Females give birth to one litter per year consisting of 5 to 11 babies. The gestation period lasts around one month. The young are born helpless and open their eyes at about 5 weeks of age. In order to avoid predation mothers often move their young to new burrows. Pups start to emerge from burrows at around 8 weeks of age and become weaned between 6-8 weeks. The coloration of the young is slightly lighter than the adults and they start to molt at about 8 weeks of age. California ground squirrels reach reproductive maturity after one year old.
There are no major threats to California ground squirrels at present.
According to IUCN, the California ground squirrel is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
California ground squirrels play an important role in the ecosystem they live in. They act as seed dispersals when hiding their food and then forget about it. These squirrels help soil aeration due to their habit of digging burrows and also create habitat for other rodents and snakes, which use them as shelters.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...