| Diet |
herbivore (primarily) |
| Habitat |
Dry areas, sagebrush; agricultural land. |
| Description |
Medium size, gray or pale-pinkish brown, cream underneath, no distinct spots or splotches. Not red on back or tail as U. beldingi. Tail shorter than similar species.
U. canus is part of the U. townsendii complex, which includes 3 species distinguished by range and chromosomes.
|
| 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 |
Link to more species information:
Smithsonian |
