- Belding's Ground Squirrel
Taxobox
name = Belding's Ground Squirrel
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3
image_width = 200px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo =Rodent ia
familia =Sciuridae
genus = "Spermophilus "
species = "S. beldingi"
binomial = "Spermophilus beldingi"
binomial_authority = (Merriam,1888 )Belding's Ground Squirrel ("Spermophilus beldingi"), also called Sage Rat, is a
squirrel that lives on mountains in the westernUnited States . In California, it often is found at 6,500–11,800 feet (2000–3700 m) in meadows betweenLake Tahoe andKings Canyon .This extensively studied rodent has a gray back with a buff-colored belly and sides, and is about 10
inch es (25 cm) long. It often is seen sitting on its hind legs, watching for predators. It burrows where the earth is dry and soft enough to dig.Belding's Ground Squirrels hibernate for about eight months of the year. Males emerge first—often in late April, when snow still covers the ground.
Usually, only a small portion of the larger, older males mate. Gestation is 23–25 days.
References
* "A Natural History of California", Allan A. Schoenherr, 1992, University of California Press.
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