Washington Ground Squirrel
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Washington ground squirrel ( Urocitellus washingtoni ) |
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| Urocitellus washingtoni | ||||||||||||
| ( AH Howell , 1938) |
The Washington ground squirrel ( Urocitellus washingtoni , Syn .: Spermophilus washingtoni ) is a species of squirrel from the genus Urocitellus . It occurs in the east of the American state Washington and in neighboring Oregon .
features
The Washington ground squirrel reaches a head-trunk length of about 18.5 to 24.5 centimeters, the tail is about 32 to 65 millimeters long and is thus significantly shorter than the rest of the body. The weight is around 160 grams in February and 260 grams at the end of May. The animals have a smoky, pale gray back coloration with reddish washings and distinct white to cream-colored spots. The belly is gray-white with a pink-sand-colored impact and the feet are white to sand-colored. The tail is mottled gray, on top with cinnamon-colored and underneath with pink-cinnamon-colored, it is also frosted white.
distribution
The Washington ground squirrel occurs in the east of the American state Washington and in neighboring Oregon .
Way of life
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The Washington ground squirrel is diurnal and lives mainly in areas of the bush steppe in the basin of the Columbia River . It prefers areas with dense grass growth and deep, loamy soils.
It is primarily herbivorous and, like other ground squirrels, its diet consists mainly of different parts of plants such as grasses, buds, flowers, sprouts, leaves and roots as well as seeds, and occasionally insects and fungi. The animals live like other ground squirrels on the ground and in underground burrows. They are social and especially the females form groups within the colonies.
The activity period is comparatively short, the animals begin to hibernate and hibernate in late May to early June and do not leave the burrows until late January to March of the following year. In this short time, the animals form a pad of fat that serves as a food store for wintering. Young animals from the litters of the same year begin wintering about two months later. In the first days after the appearance of the females it comes to the area forming the males and mating . The gestation period is 23 to 30 days and the young are born in the underground burrows in late February to March. They leave the den in late May to early June and very quickly reach the size of the adult animals. The male juveniles are usually about 880 meters away from the mother's building, the maximum distance is about 3.5 kilometers.
The annual mortality rate is around 60% and the maximum lifespan is around five years. The most important predators for the Washington ground squirrel are silver badgers ( Taxidea taxus ) and coyotes ( Canis latrans ), various birds of prey and ravens ( Corvus corax ) and snakes.
Systematics
The Washington ground squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus Urocitellus , which consists of twelve species. The species has long been classified as part of the ground squirrel and within the subgenus Spermophilus . After a comprehensive molecular biological investigation, however, the species was assigned to the now independent genus Urocitellus together with several other species . The first scientific description comes from the American zoologist Arthur Holmes Howell from 1938, who described it as Citellus washingtoni using individuals from Touchet in Walla Walla County , Washington .
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species .
Status, threat and protection
The Washington ground squirrel is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of warning list (near threatened). This is justified by the small and fragmented distribution area of only a little more than 20,000 km 2 , the deterioration and further fragmentation of the usable habitats and the loss of habitat in parts of the distribution area. However, since the species can be found in several protected areas and the populations are stabilizing, no endangerment is currently assumed. In addition to the loss of habitat, the spread of alien plants ( neophytes ), which displace usable plants, as well as hunting as an agricultural pest in parts of the distribution area represent further potential dangers.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i 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. 365-366 .
- ↑ a b c Urocitellus washingtoni in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ a b Spermophilus (Spermophilus) brunneus In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- ↑ Eric A. Rickart, Eric Yensen: Spermophilus washingtoni. Mammalian Species 371, 1991; Pp. 1-5. ( Full text ( Memento from March 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ))
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. 365-366 .
- Eric A. Rickart, Eric Yensen: Spermophilus washingtoni. Mammalian Species 371, 1991; Pp. 1-5. ( Full text )
Web links
- Urocitellus washingtoni inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.1. Listed by: E. Yensen, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2016.