Family: Sciuridae, Squirrels view all from this family
Description Pale drab above with grayish or buffy flecks. Nose cinammon; ears large. Tail relatively long, edged with buff or white; underside buffy or light brown. L 10-12 1/8" (253-307 mm); T 2 5/8"-3 7/8" (66-100 mm); HF 1 1/2-1 3/4" (38-45 mm); Wt 7 3/8-11 1/8 oz (210-315 g).
Similar Species Uinta Ground Squirrel's tail is buff mixed with black below. Belding's Ground Squirrel has less cinnamon on nose; shorter tail is reddish below. Townsend's Ground Squirrel is smaller, whitish below, with white border on tail. Richardson's and Columbian ground squirrels are larger.
Breeding 1 litter per year, averaging 6 or 7 young, born April-May. Newborn weighs about 1/4 oz (6 g).
Habitat Grasslands, sage areas, montane meadows, and talus slopes.
Range Isolated populations in ne Idaho and sw Montana; se Oregon, sw Idaho, and ne Nevada; and s Wyoming, nw Colorado, and small parts of adjoining states.
Discussion Most active in midmorning and evening, the Wyoming Ground Squirrel retires to its burrow in hot weather. It begins hibernation between July and September. Males emerge first in early March and become sexually active in a few days. Mating occurs within five days of the females' emergence in late March. Young appear aboveground when one month old. They stay at the burrow entrance the first week, but in two to three weeks follow the mother up to 50 yards (meters) from the burrow. Males defend territories during the breeding season, but not during the gestation and lactation phases. The females protect only the burrow entrance area. Adult males disperse in April; juvenile males leave the area in August. Although relatively asocial, the Wyoming Ground Squirrel species forms aggregations in favorable habitats. It spends about 40 percent of its time aboveground feeding, primarily on forbs and grasses, though it will also eat carrion found along the road, including that of its own kind. Its calls include cricket-like chirps and trilled churrs. It is difficult to locate this squirrel by its call because of its weak projection and because the animal often calls from the burrow entrance. This species' predators include dogs, Coyotes, American Badgers, weasels, Bobcats, foxes, and hawks.
