The pelage varies from soft and dense to coarse and thin. All species have relatively short legs, as well as large internal cheek pouches in which to carry food. Females have four to seven pairs of mammae. Ground squirrels inhabit prairies and steppes, tundra, rocky country, open woodlands, abandoned farms, or desert mountain ranges. They are not found in areas with a dense forest cover.
Most species construct burrows.
Those of S. lateralis are short and simple, averaging about 1.2 meters in length. The golden-mantled ground squirrels dig short, simple burrows, usually under brush or a stump or near a rock, about 25 cm deep and 35 cm long. They spend much time resting in the sunshine on logs and rocks. Otospermophilus may live under logs or rocks or in crevices in cliffs. Like all ground squirrels, they are primarily terrestrial, but they are excellent climbers in bushes and on rocks.