Family: Sciuridae, Squirrels view all from this family

Description Grayish mixed with black above, with indistinct buff spotting. Front of face, forelegs, and belly reddish brown. Forefeet buff. Bushy tail mostly reddish, but edged with white and with some black hairs above, especially at base and tip. L 12 7/8–16 1/8" (327–410 mm); T 3–4 3/4" (77–120 mm); HF 1 3/4–2 1/4" (45–58 mm); Wt 12–28 3/4 oz (340–812 g).

Similar Species Idaho Ground Squirrel is much smaller, with white chin. Richardson’s, Townsend’s, and Washington ground squirrels tend to be smaller; none has reddish-brown forelegs and feet.

Breeding 1 litter per year of 2–7 young (average 3 or 4) born May–June, after 24-day gestation.

Habitat Variable: alpine meadows, brushy areas, and arid grasslands.

Range Eastern British Columbia and w Alberta south to ne Oregon, n Idaho, and nw Montana.

Discussion This colonial estivator and hibernator sleeps seven to eight months of the year, starting estivation as early as July in a chamber it seals off from its main tunnels with a 2-foot-long (600-mm) plug of earth. While it puts on fat in summer, it also stores some seeds or bulbs in its hibernation chamber to eat after it awakens in spring. As with many hibernators, males emerge several days before females. The Columbian Ground Squirrel eats many kinds of food, including grasses, plant stems and leaves, seeds, bulbs and tubers, insects, and birds and other small vertebrates. Especially when in large colonies, these squirrels sometimes damage grainfields.