Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Callospermophilus lateralis
Summary 2
The golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) is a type of ground squirrel found in mountainous areas of western North America. Thy prefer rocky and grassy areas and will burrow in the soil. They are light brown with two distinct while and black lines down the back. They forage mainly on seeds, nuts, and the occasional insect.
Field Identification 3
Golden-mantled ground squirrels adults are 23 to 30 centimeters in length and have a distinct chipmunk-like coloration. There are two while stripes down its back from the shoulder area to the tail. The rest of the back is a black to brown transition. They are similar to rock squirrel, but lack the slight spotted coloration.
They can be found in Iron County, Utah, USA.
Scat will be twisted with tapered ends (high moisture diet) or pellets. Often times found near their burrow entrances and will measure 1/8 -5/16 in. in diameter. High moisture diet type scat is more common but can vary based on location and ecological stetting.
Tracks are similar to most other ground squirrels. Rear tracts will have five toes, a center pad and two small hind pads. The front tracks will have five toes and will only have one large center pad. Each toe will have a nail mark above the toe. Tracks measure 1-1.25 inches long by .75 inches wide.
Sources and Credits
- (c) J. N. Stuart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/21786539@N03/2804120710
- Adapted by ajedwards from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callospermophilus_lateralis
- (c) ajedwards, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
