Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

Xerospermophilus tereticaudus

The Round-tailed Ground Squirrel is a small, playful animal that loves to dig and explore. They have round tails and are often seen scurrying around in the grass, looking for seeds and insects to eat.

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Round-tailed Ground Squirrel is a small, slender rodent with a sandy-brown coat, often appearing grayish. Its most distinctive feature is its short, round, and sparsely furred tail, which looks more like a rat's tail than a typical bushy squirrel tail. They have small ears and pale underparts.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseMammaliaOrdnungRodentiaFamilieSciuridaeGattungXerospermophilus

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

Kategorie

Säugetiere

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Some can survive without drinking water, getting all moisture from the plants and seeds they eat!

Their tiny ears are perfectly adapted to keep sand out in windy desert environments!

They 'estivate' during super hot summers, which is like hibernation but to escape heat, not cold!

When babies are born, they are blind and hairless, completely relying on their mom!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Round-tailed Ground Squirrels can dig extensive underground tunnels for shelter because it helps them escape predators and the desert heat.

Round-tailed Ground Squirrels have a high tolerance for scorching desert temperatures that helps them thrive in extreme arid environments.

Round-tailed Ground Squirrels can make high-pitched alarm calls that helps them warn other squirrels about approaching dangers.

Maße und Details

Länge: 17-23 cm
Gewicht: 0.1-0.17 kg
Lebenserwartung: 2-6 Jahre
Top Speed: 25 km/h
Wurfgröße: 4-12
Tragzeit: 28-35 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

These little foragers nibble on yummy seeds, green plants, and tiny insects!

Hauptnahrung

Seeds
Grass
Insects
Leaves
Fruits

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

A common aerial predator.

eaten by

Coyote

Canis latrans

Hunts them for food.

eaten by

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

A ground predator in their habitat.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Graben

Grabende Tiere heben Tunnel und Kammern im Erdboden aus und nutzen diese unterirdischen Strukturen als Unterschlupf, zur Jagd oder zur Fortpflanzung.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.