Stats

Lifespan: 2-5 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Desert
Range: North America
Movement: Running
Breeding: Live birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Uncommon

About

A small desert ground squirrel of the American Southwest, easily told apart from chipmunks by the single white stripe along each side and a tail it flips up over its back like a parasol to block the sun. It can tolerate body temperatures that would send most mammals into heatstroke, foraging through the hottest part of the day while other desert animals hide underground.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Ammospermophilus
Species: Ammospermophilus harrisii