They live in large groups called prairie dog towns and dig big burrows in the ground. Members of the marmot family are the biggest ground-dwelling squirrels. In the warm months, squirrels that live underground spend time digging and enlarging their burrows. Some burrows are very long with many openings. Once in awhile they awaken to eat stored nuts and seeds.
Squirrels are rodents like mice, rats, and hamsters.
All rodents have four incisor teeth that keep growing and must be ground off by gnawing on hard objects like nuts. Squirrels store food. Ground squirrels and chipmunks carry it in pouches inside their cheeks, back to their burrows for storage. Tree squirrels bury nuts and seeds in the ground, for later eating. Their keen sense of smell helps them find the buried food.