The russet ground squirrel (''Spermophilus major'') 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 n ...

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 is also known as the hibernating large ground squirrel and the large-toothed souslik.AgroAtlas
/ref> It is found in west central Asia where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is temperate

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

Distribution

The russet ground squirrel is found on steppe between the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

and

Irtysh The Irtysh ( otk, 𐰼𐱅𐰾:𐰇𐰏𐰕𐰏, Ertis ügüzüg, mn, Эрчис мөрөн, ''Erchis mörön'', "erchleh", "twirl"; russian: Иртыш; kk, Ертіс, Ertis, ; Chinese: 额尔齐斯河, pinyin: ''É'ěrqísī hé'', Xiao'e ...

rivers in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and North Kazakhstan, and to the west of the Volga River in the north west part of the Volga Hills. It has also been reported from

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

but this was probably a misidentification of the rather similar species, '' Spermophilus brevicauda''. Its range is expanding to the south and west of its present range. This is believed to be because roads and other developments increase the number of water channels and long grasses. It is now able to cross the Volga due to the construction of dams in four different places. These produce areas of static water which retain ice cover for longer, allowing individuals to move to new aeas. It is found at altitudes of up to 600 metres.

Morphology

The russet ground squirrel has a stout, low-slung body, short legs and a well-furred tail. The back is dark ochre-brown, barred or mottled with light ochre. The top of the head and nose bridge are silvery-grayish. On the cheeks and above the eyes are

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a dia ...

patches. The tail appears reddish from below and the tip is pale. The body length is up to and the tail length, up to . The weight is about .

Ecology

The russet ground squirrel lives on plains, sub-mountain steppes and semi-deserts. It is found along river valleys, at the edges of forests, on the slopes of ravines, on road sides, pastures and uncultivated lands. It excavates permanent burrows about a metre in depth with a vertical entrance and a total passage length of about two metres. Temporary burrows are not so deep, have slanting entrance passages and are more simply constructed. This species is diurnal, older animals being most active in the mornings and evenings while the young are active most of the day. Winter hibernation lasts for about six and a half to eight and a half months. The date of emergence depends on spring conditions and may vary by up to twenty five days. The diet consists of the green parts of plants, roots, bulbs, grass seed, cereals and other agricultural crops. Reproduction takes place in the summer with pregnancy lasting approximately 23 days and the brood size averaging seven to eight young. These grow rapidly and are fully grown in two and a half months. The population is subject to periodic fluctuations with population surges being followed by population troughs. During the latter, single individuals may be found occupying burrows previously inhabited by large colonies. The main factors that determine mortality include exceptionally cold weather during the hibernation period, the late arrival of spring, human disturbance,

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

and outbreaks of disease.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1768722 Spermophilus Mammals described in 1778 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot