Scientific Name: Spermophilus tereticaudus

Temporal Activity: Crepuscular; emerging in the morning and early evening.

Diet: Eats succulents and green vegetation including spring wildflowers, cactus flowers and fruit, mesquite leaves grasses ocotillo flowers.  It also eats seeds and carrion, which includes road kill of its own species.

Predators:  Birds of prey and mammals; the squirrel will stand on its hind legs to get a better view of predators.

Breeding:  Breeding takes place just after hibernation with 6 to 7 young born in March or April.  Around May the young start to emerge from the burrows.  The mother squirrel will first check the area for predators and then call her young to the surface.  The young will play and wrestle while it is still cool, return to the burrow with the family, then emerge again once the temperatures cool off.

Notes:  This is a social animal that is light beige in color with a black-tipped tail.  They live on lower alluvial fans and flat valley areas where they dig burrows up to 3 ft deep.  They usually stay close to their burrows to feed and spend time relaxing in the shade or sunning.

Photo:  To be added.

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