Harris's Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii)

This squirrel is a creature of the arid desert, primarily the Sonoran. Its colors range from "pinkish cinnamon to mouse gray", with a narrow white line on each side of the body. Unlike the chipmunks it somewhat resembles, it has no side-face stripes, though it is nearly as small as they, about 6" long in head and body, 3+" long in the tail, which is completely gray in color. Chipmunks do not appear in our area, according to Burt and Grossenheide, cited in our main Mammal page.

This squirrel carries its tail high over the body, as you can see in the photo above, taken in October of 2005 in Sierra Blanca Canyon Wash. It remains active year-round, and is omnivorous.

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