Urocitellus elegans (Wyoming ground squirrel)
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Genus | Urocitellus |
| Species | Urocitellus elegans |
| Common | Wyoming ground squirrel |
| Diet | herbivore (primarily) |
| Habitat | Found in a variety of habitats including valley bottoms and foothills, mountain meadows, and rocky slopes. |
| Description | Formerly in genus Spermophilus. Medium size, yellow-brown, no distinct spots or splotches. Not red on back or tail as S. beldingi. Tail relatively long, black near tip, edged with cream color (“elegant” tail). |
| 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 |