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Ground squirrels are rodents of the squirrel family that generally live on the ground or in burrows, rather than in trees like the tree squirrels.The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots (genus Marmota) or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as chipmunks (genus ...
The tail is relatively bushy for a ground squirrel, and at a quick glance, the squirrel might be mistaken for a fox squirrel. [8] As is typical for ground squirrels, California ground squirrels live in burrows, which they excavate themselves. Some burrows are occupied communally, but each squirrel has its own entrance.
The burrow may be 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 metres) long, with several side passages. Most of the burrow is within one to two feet (about half a meter) of the surface, with only the hibernation nest in a special deeper section. Shorter burrows are dug as hiding places. This ground squirrel's home range is two to three acres (0.8 to 1.2 ha).
These ground squirrels prefer to spend the colder months burning off their fat reserves and reducing their weights while taking deep, hibernating sleeps within secure burrows. Jim Goetze
The round-tailed ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus), known as "Ardillón cola redonda" in Spanish, live in the desert of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. They are called " ground squirrels " because they burrow in loose soil, often under mesquite trees and creosote bushes .
It is a moderately large ground squirrel with sandy-brown or dark-brown fur with a white lateral stripe and whitish underparts. Adults live alone or in pairs in a simple burrow with a central nest, foraging, mostly on the ground, for seeds, nuts and roots, and caching excess food under stones.
Ground squirrels can grow to be a foot long, and dig complex burrows in the earth, the most elaborate of which have separate chambers for sleeping, food storage, and waste.
Squirrels need tough little teeth to break through all the nuts they munch on. Interestingly, squirrels have four teeth in the front of their mouths that constantly grow throughout their lives, so ...