Family: Sciuridae, Squirrels view all from this family
Description Gray or yellowish gray above, tinged with brown or buff and indistinctly mottled. Underparts whitish or pale buff. Tail bordered with white or buff; light brownish or buff below. L 9 3/4–14" (248–355 mm); T 2 1/2–3 7/8" (65–100 mm); HF 1 5/8–1 7/8" (40–49 mm); Wt 13–16 1/2 oz (369–469 g).
Similar Species Belding’s Ground Squirrel has brown streak down back; tail is reddish below. Townsend’s Ground Squirrel is smaller, with shorter tail that is reddish or tawny below. Uinta Ground Squirrel’s tail is buff mixed with black above and below. Columbian Ground Squirrel is larger, with reddish-brown face, forelegs, and belly. Franklin’s Ground Squirrel is larger, with longer tail and dark underparts.
Breeding 1 litter per year of 6–11 young (usually 7 or 8) born in May, after 22- to 23-day gestation.
Habitat Open prairies.
Range Southern and e Alberta, s Saskatchewan, and s Manitoba south to ne Montana, ne South Dakota, and extreme w Minnesota.
Discussion Because it often stands erect on its hindlegs to survey its surroundings, Richardson’s Ground Squirrel has acquired the nickname "Picket Pin." It is also called "Flickertail," for the way it accompanies its shrill whistle with a flick of its tail. This ground squirrel hibernates from September through January, February, or March. It also goes through a prehibernation period after the juveniles emerge, and sometimes estivates in the hottest months, often beginning in July. Its diet includes a variety of insects—-especially crickets, grasshoppers, and caterpillars—-as well as the seeds, leaves, and stems of many kinds of plants. It stuffs its cheek pouches with seeds (one animal was found with 162 oat, 140 wheat, and almost 1,000 wild buckwheat seeds), which it stores in the burrow and probably eats in spring, upon awakening from hibernation. Mating occurs about three to five days after the females emerge from hibernation; 90 to 100 percent of the females are bred. The young may be seen foraging with the mother in June, as they undergo a four-week emergence phase from the time they first appear at the burrow entrance to when they forage alone. Although a rather solitary species, Richardson’s Ground Squirrel sometimes lives colonially in favorable habitats, and is especially abundant where vegetation is short. In addition to its shrill whistle, this species also produces chirps, churrs, squeals, and tooth chatters. Its major predators are American Badgers, weasels, gopher snakes, and hawks.
