Arctic ground squirrel
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Arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) |
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The Arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii , syn .: Spermophilus parryii ), also called the Arctic ground squirrel , is a species of mammal in the subfamily of ground squirrels (Xerinae).
Appearance
The species is colored brown on top and white on the underside. The ground squirrel has a length of 33 to 49 cm (including tail) and a weight of 530 to 810 g. The males are slightly larger than the females . During the summer the animals almost double their weight because of the long hibernation .
Occurrence
The animals are found in northeastern Siberia , Alaska and northwestern Canada .
Way of life
The diurnal gophers spend their rest phases in their earthworks. During their eight-month hibernation, the body temperature of the animals drops by up to three degrees below freezing point. Curiously, their blood does not freeze, nor is the cell tissue destroyed by sharp-edged water ice crystals.
food
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Arctic ground squirrels feed on fruits , berries , leaves , seeds , mushrooms and roots and possibly also on insects .
Reproduction
The animals mate once a year. The female usually gives birth to five to ten young in June. The young are born blind. You weigh about 10 g at birth. Ground squirrels reach sexual maturity at around eleven months of age .
Systematics
The arctic ground squirrel is a species of the genus Urocitellus within the ground squirrel . The first description was in 1825 by John Richardson . The genus has long been classified as part of the ground squirrel and within the subgenus Urocitellus , but after a comprehensive molecular biological investigation, this was considered as an independent genus together with several other genera.
The species contains the following subspecies:
- U. p. ablusus Osgood, 1903
- U. p. kennicottii Ross, 1861
- U. p. kodiacensis JA Allen, 1874
- U. p. leucostictus Brandt, 1844
- U. p. lyratus Hall and Gilmore, 1932
- U. p. nebulicola Osgood, 1903
- U. p. osgoodi Merriam, 1900
- U. p. parryii Richardson, 1825
- U. p. plesius Osgood, 1900
- U. p. stejnegeri JA Allen, 1903
Hazard and protection
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Predators include foxes, wolves and grizzly bears. In addition, the ground squirrel skins of the Arctic ground squirrel were made into winter clothing, especially by the local population.
The Arctic ground squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered ("least concern") because it occurs frequently in its comparatively large area and there are no major threats.
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 360-362 .
- Bryan S. McLean: Urocitellus parryii (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Mammalian Species 50 (964), September 21, 2018. pp. 84-99. doi : 10.1093 / mspecies / sey011
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 360-362 .
- ^ Arctic Ground Squirrel, National Museum of Natural History (Eng.)
- ^ Spiegel, Wissenschaft
- ↑ Spermophilus parryii, eNature (Engl.) ( Memento of the original on 29 September 2007 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Matthew D. Herron, Todd A. Castoe, Christopher L. Parkinson: Sciurid phylogeny and the paraphyly of holarctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31, 2004; Pp. 1015-1030. ( Full text , PMID 15120398 )
- ↑ Kristofer M. Helgen, F. Russell Cole, Lauren E. Helgen, Don E. Wilson: Generic Revision in the holarctic ground squirrels genus Spermophilus. Journal of Mammalogy 90 (2), 2009; Pp. 270-305. doi : 10.1644 / 07-MAMM-A-309.1
- ^ Bucknell.edu Spermophilus parryii , accessed June 28, 2014
- ↑ M. Gorgas, Kurt Häse, Paul Schöps: The Ziesel. In: The fur trade. Vol. 20, No. 1, 1969/1970, ZDB -ID 1008085-5 , pp. 3-15, here p. 4.
- ↑ Spermophilus parryii on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006 , filed by: Cook, JA, 2000, accessed March 24, 2007
