Stats

Lifespan: 5-8 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Burrowing
Breeding: Live birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Uncommon

About

A stocky, short-tailed ground squirrel of mountain meadows and prairies in the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies, easily told apart by its mottled grey-brown coat and rusty-orange face and legs. It is the second-largest member of its genus and spends up to 8 months a year in deep hibernation.

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: Urocitellus
Species: Urocitellus columbianus