Stats

Lifespan

3-5 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

North America

Movement

Burrowing

Breeding

Live birth

Defense

Burrowing

Status

G3?

About

A stout, burrowing ground squirrel of the high plateaus of the American Southwest that lives in tight-knit colonies called towns. Its alarm calls are so detailed that researchers have decoded distinct 'words' describing a predator's size, shape, color, and speed.

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.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Sciuridae

Genus

Cynomys

Species

Cynomys gunnisoni