Richardson Ground Squirrel
| Richardson Ground Squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Richardson's ground squirrel ( Urocitellus richardsonii ) |
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| Urocitellus richardsonii | ||||||||||||
| ( Sabine , 1822) |
The Richardson ground squirrel ( Urocitellus richardsonii , syn .: Spermophilus richardsonii ), also called prairie ground squirrel , is a rodent from the subfamily of ground squirrels (Xerinae).
Appearance
The species, which was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson , is brown on the top and white to light brown on the underside. The ground squirrel have a length of 35 to 46 centimeters (including the tail) and a weight of 400 to 600 grams. The males are slightly larger than the females .
Occurrence
The animals are found in the northern United States and Canada .
food
Richardson ground squirrels eat fruits , leaves , seeds , berries, and roots, and sometimes insects .
Reproduction
The animals mate once a year. The females bring a gestation period usually two to six, in some cases up to fourteen pups. The ground squirrels reach sexual maturity at the age of five to six months .
research
Ground squirrels usually make audible noises to warn their fellow species of potential predators. Canadian scientists made an interesting observation when examining the warning calls of the Richardson ground squirrel: some animals moved as if they were giving warning calls when they saw an enemy, but only produced very weak sounds. Further investigations showed that these “whisper calls” are ultrasonic screams with a frequency of around 50 kilohertz.
Systematics
The Richardson ground squirrel is a species of the genus Urocitellus within the ground squirrel . The first description was in 1822 by Joseph Sabine . 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.
Danger
The Richardson's ground squirrel is in the red list of the IUCN 'not at risk' ( least concern out).
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. 362-363 .
- ↑ Spermophilus richardsonii (English)
- ↑ With silent cries against the enemy. On stern.de, July 29, 2004.
- ↑ The standard language of the ground squirrels. On Wissenschaft.de, November 15, 2005
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Urocitellus richardsonii in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2009. Posted by: A. V. Linzey, NatureServe, 2008. Accessed on 5 November of 2009.
Web links
- Richardson ground squirrel on exotic-nager.de
- Spermophilus richardsonii on rodent-info.net