Owners of Richardson's ground squirrels seem to agree that the creatures make very nice pets. The animal enjoys chewing on furniture and curtains, however, some claim that the squirrels can be trained by tapping them on the nose when they misbehave. Pet distributers recognize the importance of exercise and ask all pet owners to keep a wheel in the cage. The animals enjoy being played with and petted frequently.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Due to the clearing of forests for farm land, the natural habitat and population size of S. richardsonii has increased dramatically.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Richardson's ground squirrels carry fleas that transmit the bacterial disease bubonic plague. They have also been known to cause the spread of tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Richardson's ground squirrels are a major agricultural pest in Canada and the northern United States, they can cause massive crop destruction.
Richardson's ground squirrels are important members of their ecosystems, acting to recycle soil nutrients and providing an important source of prey for many predator species, they are also available as pets.
The diet of S. richardsonii consists of seeds, nuts, grains, bulbs, green vegetation, insects and other types of small invertebrates. Food is stored in the burrow, but is eaten only after awakening from hibernation.
Spermophilus richardsonii is found in central Alberta and western Montana to western Minnesota.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Richardson's ground squirrel lives in areas of open plains with short grasses. The animal also spends large amounts of time in the soils of these areas in burrows. The animal avoids heavily forested areas.
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Total body length for Richardson's ground squirrels is from 283 to 337 mm in males and 264 to 318 mm in females. Tail length varies from 65 to 88 mm in males and 55 to 82 mm in females. Pre-hibernation males ranged in weight from 440 to 745 g, and from 290 to 500 grams post-hibernation. Pre-hibernation females ranged from 330 to 590 grams and from 120 to 290 grams post-hibernation . They are dark brown along the top of the body and lighter brown on the sides with a whitish underbelly. The tail is short and covered with fur, but is not bushy.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 342.5 g.
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.788 W.
Females are monestrous and have one litter per year. Mating takes place soon after hibernation ends, from late March to early May. Intense male competition for access to females occurs during the mating period. Each females is receptive for only about 3 hours but will mate with several males during that time. As soon as a female is impregnated she becomes aggressive towards males. Females prepare nest chambers where their litter will be born and reared. Gestation lasts for 23-31 days and litters are typically 6 to 8 young. The young are weaned at 4 to 6 weeks of age. The young reach adult size and sexual maturity at about 11 months. Females live for 2 to 4 years, sometimes living as long as 6 years. Male Richardson's ground squirrels rarely live longer than two years as a direct result of energetic expense and mortality associated with male-male competition during mating.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 6.35 g.
Average gestation period: 24 days.
Average number of offspring: 6.06.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 335 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 335 days.
Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii), also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie dogs or gophers, though the latter name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae, and the former to members of the genus Cynomys.
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This squirrel was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson. North Dakota is nicknamed the Flickertail state after the squirrel.[2] The nickname Dakrat is derived from "Dakota Rat" and is a commonly used name around Minot, North Dakota and on Minot Air Force Base.[3]
Native to the short grass prairies, Richardson's ground squirrel is found mainly in the northern states of the United States, such as North Dakota and Montana, and in western Canada, including central and southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan.[4][5] The range of this animal expanded as forests were cleared to create farmland. They are not simply restricted to prairie; sometimes they adapt to suburban environments, causing them to be seen as pests because of the burrows they dig. It is not unusual to find squirrels digging tunnels under the sidewalks and patios of urban homes.
Typical adults are about 30 centimetres (12 in) long. Weights vary greatly with time of year and with location: at emergence from hibernation the squirrels weigh between 200 and 275 g (0.441–0.606 lb) for females and between 350 and 450 g (0.77–0.99 lb) for males. But by the time they hibernate again, their weight may have risen to nearly 750 grams (1.65 lb).[6] Males are slightly larger and heavier than females on average. They are dark brown on the upper side and tan underneath. The tail is shorter and less bushy than in other ground squirrels, and the external ears are so short as to look more like holes in the animal's head. Behavior is more like that of a prairie dog than a typical ground squirrel. The tail is constantly trembling, so the animal is sometimes called the "flickertail".[2]
Males have an average life expectancy of 3 years, while females average 4 years. However, in captivity some individuals may live for 5 to 7 years.[6]
Richardson's ground squirrels appear to live communally, but they organize their social structure around female kinship. A female Richardson's ground squirrel will tolerate the presence of closely related females, but are territorial towards other individuals.[7] Individuals are territorial around their nest sites. The burrows of Richardson's ground squirrels are grouped closely together in colonies, and individuals give audible alarm calls when possible predators approach. Recent research has shown that in some cases, ultrasonic alarm calls are given, and are responded to by other members of the colony. Richardson's ground squirrels use two audible alarm calls, a high-pitched whistle and a 'chirp' call. The whistle is given in response to terrestrial predators, while the chirp is given in response to aerial predators such as hawks.[8]
Predators include hawks, owls, snakes, weasels, badgers and coyotes.
These animals are omnivores, eating seeds, nuts, grains, grasses and insects.[4] In addition they have cannibalistic tendencies, where they will consume the corpses of other ground squirrels after dragging them down their burrows or indeed on the surface.[2]
Adult ground squirrels may hibernate as early as July, though in their first year, the young ground squirrels do not hibernate until September. The males emerge from hibernation in March, and establish territories before the females emerge a couple of weeks later. Abandoned burrows are sometimes taken over by other grassland species such as the burrowing owl.
Female Richardson's ground squirrels produce one litter per year. Litter size averages 6, though the maximum size recorded is 14. The young are born in April or May.[9] Young ground squirrels remain underground in the burrow until they are approximately 30 days old, emerging from natal burrows late May to mid-June. At emergence, the young weigh 50 to 100 grams.
Because they will readily eat crop species, Richardson's ground squirrels are sometimes considered to be agricultural pests, although this is not their legal status in all jurisdictions.[10] The government of Saskatchewan declared the animals pests in 2010, allowing local governments to employ gopher control measures.[11] In areas with few natural predators, overpopulation and increasing density can drive ground squirrels to expand into suburban neighborhoods.
Farmers and ranchers have developed a variety of ways to exterminate ground squirrels besides trapping, shooting and poisoning. One such process fills the burrows with a mixture of oxygen and propane and then ignites the gas mixture. This kills the ground squirrels with a concussive force that also collapses the tunnel systems.[12] Even if effective, ground squirrels from outside of the treated areas will eventually spread back into the area.
The Saskatoon Wildlife Federation sponsored a 12-week "gopher derby" in 2002, in an effort to reduce what it considered an overpopulation of the squirrels. Cash prizes were awarded for the most number of animals killed, with the animals' tails being presented as proof of the kill. The Canadian Humane Society called the contest cruel and barbaric.[13] Despite the criticism, the derby was repeated in 2003. By 2004, the ground squirrel population had dropped and the contest was cancelled.
The Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta, Canada, has a large selection of stuffed ground squirrels of many varieties and colors.
The Richardson's ground squirrel in recent years has become popular in the exotic pet trade.[14]
Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii), also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie dogs or gophers, though the latter name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae, and the former to members of the genus Cynomys.
