Urocitellus beldingi (Belding’s ground squirrel)
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Genus | Urocitellus |
| Species | Urocitellus beldingi |
| Common | Belding’s ground squirrel |
| Diet | herbivore (primarily) |
| Habitat | meadows, sagebrush, farm fields. Ag pest, “sage rat” |
| Description | Formerly in genus Spermophilus. Medium size, reddish back and top of head, gray sides; tail gray above, reddish below, relatively short. Hind foot length medium, 39-49 mm |
| 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 |