Belding'S Ground Squirrel

urocitellus beldingi

Belding's ground squirrel is a charismatic, social rodent native to the high-elevation meadows and grasslands of the western United States. Highly active during the brief alpine summer, these busy creatures are well known for their upright sentinel postures, standing tall on their hind legs to scan the horizon for predators. Their vocalizations—a series of sharp, high-pitched whistles and trills—serve as a sophisticated alarm system to warn family members of incoming threats. This social structure and cooperative vigilance make them a fascinating species to study. They spend the vast majority of the year in deep underground burrows, where they undergo a prolonged winter hibernation that can last up to eight months.

生息地: Typically found in high-altitude mountain meadows, sagebrush flats, and grassy pastures of the western United States.

外見

This medium-sized ground squirrel measures about 20 to 30 centimeters in length and features a relatively short, flat tail. Its coat is a blend of grizzled brownish-gray on the back, shifting to a buff or reddish-yellow on the underside. A key identifying feature is its grayish-white eye-rings and a subtle, reddish-brown stripe running down the middle of its back. They have small, rounded ears that lie close to the head and sturdy, clawed limbs adapted for rapid digging.

界Animalia門Chordata綱Mammalia目Rodentia科Sciuridae属Urocitellus

Belding'S Ground Squirrel

カテゴリ

哺乳類

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

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おもしろい事実

Belding's ground squirrels spend up to 70% to 80% of their lives asleep or hibernating underground.

They are known to engage in 'kissing' as a form of greeting and identification when they meet near their burrows.

They exhibit nepotism in their alarm calls; females are far more likely to sound the alarm if they have close female relatives nearby, risking their own safety to warn kin.

特殊能力

Standing tall on their hind feet, these squirrels act as guards, scanning the sky and ground for predators and signaling danger with high-pitched chirps.

To survive harsh alpine winters, they enter a state of torpor for up to eight months a year, drastically reducing their heart rate and body temperature.

They construct complex, multi-chambered burrow systems with separate areas for nesting, food storage, and waste.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 20-30 cm
体重: 0.2-0.5 kg
寿命: 3-6 年
Top Speed: 25 km/h
一度の産卵数: 3-8
抱卵期間: 23-28 日

食性と食事

Primarily herbivorous, feeding on a wide variety of green vegetation, seeds, and flowers, but they will readily supplement their diet with insects and carrion.

年齢による違い: Juveniles focus more on tender green vegetation and high-energy seeds, whereas adults consume massive quantities of diverse vegetation to build fat reserves for hibernation.

主な食物

Meadow grasses
Wildflower seeds
Insects
Roots and tubers
Fungi

採餌方法

Foraging

生態系とのつながり

eaten by

American Badger

Taxidea taxus

Hunted by the American Badger, which often digs out the squirrel's burrows.

eaten by

Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus

Preyed upon by the Prairie Falcon from the air during the summer months.

competitor

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Callospermophilus lateralis

Competes for grassy forage and nesting space in alpine meadows.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Belding'S Ground Squirrelを見分けるには？

Belding'S Ground Squirrelを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Belding'S Ground Squirrelの長さは何ですか？

20-30 cm

Belding'S Ground Squirrelの体重は何ですか？

0.2-0.5 kg

Belding'S Ground Squirrelの寿命は何ですか？

3-6 年

Belding'S Ground Squirrelのtop Speedは何ですか？

25 km/h

Belding'S Ground Squirrelは何を食べますか？

Primarily herbivorous, feeding on a wide variety of green vegetation, seeds, and flowers, but they will readily supplement their diet with insects and carrion.

Belding'S Ground Squirrelは通常どこに生息していますか？

Typically found in high-altitude mountain meadows, sagebrush flats, and grassy pastures of the western United States.

Belding'S Ground Squirrelはどのように狩りをしますか？

Foraging