Some populations have varying levels of resistance to rattlesnake venom as adults. Interdisciplinary research at the University of California, Davis, since the 1970s has shown that the squirrels use a variety of techniques to reduce rattlesnake predation. They are also preyed on by eagles, raccoons, foxes, badgers, and weasels. Food and feeding īleached skull of Otospermophilus beecheyi, found at Ballona WetlandsĬalifornia ground squirrels are frequently preyed on by rattlesnakes. California ground squirrels can live up to six years. The coloration of the young is slightly lighter than the adults, and molting occurs at about eight weeks of age – when the young leave the burrows. The young open their eyes at about five weeks and reach sexual maturity around one year old. The California ground squirrel has one litter of five to eleven per year, with gestation around one month. The females are considered to be promiscuous, so the individuals of one litter can be from multiple mates. Life history Ĭalifornia ground squirrels' mating season is early spring and tends to last only for a few weeks. They commonly feed on seeds, such as oats, but also eat insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, as well as various fruits. Ĭalifornia ground squirrels are often regarded as pests in gardens and parks, since they eat ornamental plants and trees. In those parts where the summers are hot, they may also estivate for periods of a few days. In the colder parts of their range, California ground squirrels hibernate for several months, but in areas where winters have no snow, most squirrels are active year-round. Although they readily become tame in areas used by humans, and quickly learn to take food left or offered by picnickers, they spend most of their time within 25 m (80 ft) of their burrows, and rarely go further than 50 m (160 ft) from it. Some burrows are occupied communally, but each squirrel has its own entrance. Īs is typical for ground squirrels, California ground squirrels live in burrows, which they excavate themselves. The tail is relatively bushy for a ground squirrel, and at a quick glance, the squirrel might be mistaken for a fox squirrel. Head and body are about 30 cm (12 in) long and the tail an additional 15 centimetres (5.9 in). The underside is lighter, buff or grayish yellow. The shoulders, neck and sides are a lighter gray. The squirrel's upper parts are mottled, with the fur containing a mixture of gray, light brown and dusky hairs. John Richardson, who originally described the species as Arctomys (Spermophilus) beecheyi, or "Beechey's marmot", named it after Frederick William Beechey, an early 19th-century British explorer and naval officer. A full species account was published for this species in 2016. Formerly placed in Spermophilus, as Spermophilus beecheyi, it was reclassified in Otospermophilus in 2009, as it became clear that Spermophilus as previously defined was not a natural ( monophyletic) group. The California ground squirrel ( Otospermophilus beecheyi), also known as the Beechey ground squirrel, is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada. Arctomys (Spermophilus) beecheyi Richardson, 1829
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