Stats

Lifespan

6-10 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Desert

Range

North America

Movement

Climbing

Breeding

Live Birth

Defense

Burrowing

Status

Common

About

A large, bushy-tailed ground squirrel of the southwestern deserts and canyons, often seen sunning itself on boulders near its rocky den. It gives a sharp, two-part whistle when alarmed and will readily climb trees or scramble up cliff faces to escape predators.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn pup

   A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown and self-sufficient.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Sciuridae

Genus

Otospermophilus

Species

Otospermophilus variegatus