Townsend's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus townsendii'') is a rare species of

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

in the family

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

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Washington in the United States.

Distribution and habitat

Townsend's ground squirrel is found only in Washington in the United States. It occurs in the Yakima River Valley, west of the Yakima River, and in the Horse Heaven Hills to the south. Less than 10% of the native habitat of the Townsend's ground squirrel remains. Its native habitat was shrubsteppe, grasslands, and sagebrush at the edges of forest. It now also occurs in habitats modified by humans, such as orchards, pastures, and abandoned fields.

Conservation

Colonies of Townsend's ground squirrel are fragmented and isolated. In 2022, the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

had 16 unique records of occurrence. In 2012, there were 8 colonies recorded for the Hanford Reach National Monument. , there are 29 research grade observations in

iNaturalist iNaturalist is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its web ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus Endemic rodents of the United States Ground squirrel, Townsend Ground squirrel, Townsend Mammals described in 1839 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by John Bachman