Urocitellus canus
Creators: name: Wilson, Don E.
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Sciuridae
Urocitellus
Urocitellus canus

description: 209. Merriam’s Ground Squirrel <i>Urocitellus canus</i> <b>French:</b> Spermophile de Merriam / <b>German:</b> Merriam-Ziesel / <b>Spanish:</b> Ardila terrestre de Merriam <b>Taxonomy.</b> Spermophilus mollis canus Merriam, 1898, “Antelope, Wasco County, Oregon, [USA].” Two subspecies are recognized. <b>Subspecies and Distribution.</b> U.c.canusMerriam,1898—EOregonStoextremeNECaliforniaandNWNevadainNWUSA. U. c. vigilis Merriam, 1913 — extreme E Oregon to WC Idaho (USA). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body mean 153-3 mm (males) and 160-2 mm (females), tail mean 38-4 mm (males) and 40-8 m (females); weight mean 154 g. Merriam’s Ground Squirrel is small-bodied and is generally dark gray, with no visible stripes or spots. Dorsum, face, cheeks, and hips are washed with buff atop whitish venter. Tail is gray, short, and relatively narrow, tinged with cinnamon on underside. Subspecies vigilis is slightly larger and more whitish than canus. <b>Habitat.</b> Non-forested desert chaparral characteristic of the Upper Sonoran life zone of sagebrush (Artemisia, Asteraceae), juniper (Juniperus, Cupressaceae), and greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Sarcobataceae). Merriam’s Ground Squirrel also occurs in relatively mesic riparian areas, irrigation ditches, pastures, agricultural fields, and disturbed open areas of agricultural development when available. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Merriam’s Ground Squirrelis a generalist herbivore and eats vegetation, fruits, roots, and seeds; it also eats and scavenges animal material (e.g. insects). Subspecies vigilis, in particular, can damage alfalfa fields. <b>Breeding.</b> Merriam’s Ground Squirrel inhabits burrows with a vegetation-lined nest chamber in which young are born. Males emerge in the early March and are sexually active for at least a month. Length of gestation and lactation are unknown. Single litters of 5-10 young appear in late April or early May. <b>Activity patterns.</b> Merriam’s Ground Squirrelis diurnal, although adults are known to be crepuscular during heat of summer. Adults enter hibernation first beginning in mid-July-August, followed by young-of-the-year; adults emerge in early March. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> Merriam’s Ground Squirrel can occur at high densities of ¢.20-50 ind/ha before and after young are weaned. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of Merriam’s Ground Squirrel is unknown. It is controlled locally as a pest on agricultural land, and populations are fragmented by range degradation. Basic knowledge on population ecology is lacking and makes assessment difficult, but projections suggest little change in available habitat with predicted levels of climate change. <b>Bibliography.</b> Cole &amp; Wilson (2009), Helgen et al. (2009), Langdon (2013), Mateju &amp; Kratochvil (2013), Thorington et al. (2012), Yensen &amp; NatureServe (Hammerson) (2008), Yensen &amp; Sherman (2003).
description: Published as part of <i>Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr &amp; Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Sciuridae, pp. 648-837 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 803, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6840226