Wyoming Ground Squirrel

urocitellus elegans

The Wyoming Ground Squirrel is a charming and highly social rodent native to the high-elevation shrublands, sagebrush steppes, and grasslands of the western United States. Highly adapted to its semi-arid environment, this industrious creature lives in extensive underground burrow systems that offer protection from predators and the harsh winter cold. Known for their active colonial behavior, these squirrels are a common and delightful sight during the spring and summer months, darting between burrows and standing erect on their hind legs to scan the horizon. They play a crucial role in their ecosystem by aerating the soil through digging and serving as a vital prey species for local raptors and carnivores.

生息地: Found in high-altitude sagebrush steppes, montane meadows, and dry grasslands of the western United States.

外見

The Wyoming Ground Squirrel is medium-sized with a cylindrical body, measuring about 25 to 38 centimeters in total length. Its soft, dense pelage is primarily a buffy-gray to brownish color on its back, subtly speckled with lighter markings, which blends seamlessly into its dry grassland habitat. The underbelly is noticeably reconstruction of pale cream to light buff. It features a relatively short, flat tail around 6 to 10 centimeters long with a buffy underside and a white border. A distinct whitish ring encircles each dark, expressive eye, and its small, rounded ears lie flat against its head.

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

Wyoming 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

Their complex alarm calls can convey specific information about the type of predator approaching, whether it is an airborne hawk or a ground-dwelling badger.

They are colloquially known as 'picket pins' because they stand rigidly upright on their hind legs, looking like wooden pegs driven into the ground.

Wyoming Ground Squirrels spend over two-thirds of their entire lives in hibernation, active for only about 4 months of the year.

特殊能力

To survive the extreme winter cold and food scarcity, they enter a state of profound hibernation for up to eight months, dramatically reducing their heart rate and body temperature.

They utilize a sophisticated vocal communication system, emitting sharp, high-pitched chirps to warn colony members of terrestrial or aerial predators.

They are expert excavators, constructing complex burrow networks with multiple chambers, escape routes, and nesting areas deep beneath the frost line.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 25-38 cm
体重: 0.25-0.5 kg
寿命: 2-5 年
Top Speed: 25 km/h
一度の産卵数: 4-8
抱卵期間: 22-23 日

食性と食事

Primarily herbivorous, consuming a wide variety of grasses, seeds, and flowering plants, but opportunistic enough to eat insects and carrion when available.

年齢による違い: Juveniles rely heavily on tender, high-protein green shoots and seeds to rapidly build fat reserves required for their first hibernation.

主な食物

Grasses
Forbs
Seeds
Insects
Shrub foliage

採餌方法

Foraging

生態系とのつながり

eaten by

American Badger

Taxidea taxus

Badgers are primary predators, actively digging into ground squirrel burrows to hunt them.

eaten by

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Golden Eagles frequently hunt Wyoming Ground Squirrels from the air during the summer months.

host plant

Big Sagebrush

Artemisia tridentata

Provides critical cover from predators and is a source of shelter and forage for the squirrels.

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

Wyoming Ground Squirrelを見分けるには？

Wyoming 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。

Wyoming Ground Squirrelの長さは何ですか？

25-38 cm

Wyoming Ground Squirrelの体重は何ですか？

0.25-0.5 kg

Wyoming Ground Squirrelの寿命は何ですか？

2-5 年

Wyoming Ground Squirrelのtop Speedは何ですか？

25 km/h

Wyoming Ground Squirrelは何を食べますか？

Primarily herbivorous, consuming a wide variety of grasses, seeds, and flowering plants, but opportunistic enough to eat insects and carrion when available.

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

Found in high-altitude sagebrush steppes, montane meadows, and dry grasslands of the western United States.

Wyoming Ground Squirrelはどのように狩りをしますか？

Foraging