Merriam's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus canus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

. It occurs in the western United States in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Description

Merriam's ground squirrel is a small, grey,

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents (Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

with a relatively nondescript appearance. Adults range from in head-body length, with a tail. Although their weight varies throughout the year, depending on nutrition, typical adult weights of have been recorded for females, and for males. The fur is short and lacks any distinctive markings such as stripes or spots. It is greyish buff over most of the body, and pale buff to white on the underparts. The tail is relatively short and narrow compared with most other related ground squirrels, and the ears are small. However, it can only be reliably distinguished from

Townsend's ground squirrel Townsend's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus townsendii'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in high desert shrublands in several areas of the United States. Distribution Townsend's ground squirrel is found in the Great Bas ...

and the

Piute ground squirrel The Piute ground squirrel (''Urocitellus mollis'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Great Basin region of the western United States, where it is found in parts of California, Idaho, Nevada Nevada ( ; ) i ...

by genetic testing, and, for a long time, these species were not considered to be separate.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found throughout much of

, although not in the northern and western regions of the state. Some populations extend south of the state line into the extreme north-eastern corner of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and the extreme north-western corner of

, while other populations extend along the west bank of the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

into western

. Two subspecies are generally recognised: * ''Urocitellus canus canus'' - Oregon, California, Nevada * ''Urocitellus canus vigilis'' - Snake River region (eastern Oregon, western Idaho) The native habitat of Merriam's ground squirrel is arid

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

environments dominated by

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an alph ...

, and, to a lesser extent, by

greasewood Greasewood is a common name shared by several plants: * ''Adenostoma fasciculatum'' is a plant with white flowers that is native to Oregon, Nevada, California, and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the ...

and

shadscale ''Atriplex confertifolia'', the shadscale or spiny saltbush, is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae, which is native to the western United States and northern Mexico. Description The height of ''Atriplex confertifolia'' vari ...

. It is sometimes found in marginal

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

woodland and can be common in man-made pasture and fields.

Behavior

Merriam's ground squirrel is a diurnal omnivore, feeding on a wide range of seeds, roots, and bulbs, as well as on insects, such as

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

s. Although relatively little of its native habitat has been converted into farmland, where it does inhabit agricultural land, it may eat domesticated grains or

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

, and be considered as a pest. Known predators include

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

s and

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extrem ...

s, and presumably also include hawks, snakes, and various carnivorous mammals. They construct burrows, and rarely wander far from their entrances, typically having a home range of less than . They spend most of the year

hibernating Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

; although there is some variation with local habitat, they generally emerge in early March, and become dormant again in early August. They give birth to a single litter of up to ten young each year in late April or early May. The gestation period and duration of weaning are unknown, but are probably each in the range of three to four weeks. They are quiet and secretive animals, with a shrill, squeaking, alarm call, and have been observed to climb low bushes in search of food and to be good swimmers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1761219, from2=Q21730459 Urocitellus Endemic fauna of the United States Fauna of the Western United States Fauna of the Great Basin Mammals of the United States Mammals described in 1898 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot