Otospermophilus beecheyi (California ground squirrel)
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Genus | Otospermophilus |
| Species | Otospermophilus beecheyi |
| Common | California ground squirrel |
| Diet | herbivore |
| Habitat | Roadsides, farm fields, pastures, coastal dunes. |
| Description | Formerly in genus Spermophilus. Large gray squirrel, long fluffy tail similar to tree squirrel. Dark patch on shoulders with light color above and around shoulders, speckled on back. |
| Skull Characteristics | Similar to other ground squirrels: Zygomatic arches are twisted and flattened horizontally and converge toward the front, with a more streamlined appearance than tree squirrels, good for squeezing through burrows. Postorbital process projection is often narrow and fragile. In the mandible, the notch between the coronoid process and the condyloid process is deeper in ground squirrels than in tree squirrels. |
| Notes | Links to more species information:
Smithsonian Animal Diversity Web |