Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)

This is the largest ground-dwelling squirrel of our area, and is here shown in what Burt & Grossenheider (p.97) identify as its characteristic position: "sitting on the top of a boulder on the watch for danger." As their popular name implies, their prefered habitats are "Rocky Canyons and boulder-strewn slopes". These pictures were taken on October 9, 2010 on an upper terrace of lower Hot Springs Canyon. This one was fairly bold in our company, though we had never seen one at this location before. (Click on each of the images below to enlarge them.)

Rock squirrels are ready tree climbers, and they feed on seeds, fruits, nuts, eggs, and meat. They build their dens beneath boulders, and hibernate briefly if at all. Their somewhat bushy tails are nearly as long as the head and body combined, and (like the body as well) show a mottled pattern, dominantly grayish but with scattered cinnamon or brown and black. (Some members of the species show considerably more black, including blackish head and back.)

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