{"history":[],"article":{"id":"3a91a047-02fe-44b9-b016-32c2b63af9dd","title":"Ground squirrel","slug":"ground-squirrel","content":":::summary\n![Ground squirrel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Yer///sincab%C4%B1.jpg)\n**Name:** Ground squirrel \n**Fossil Range:** [Early Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/rupelian) to recent \n**Image Caption:** Ground squirrel in [Turkey](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkey) \n**Taxon:** Marmotini \n**Authority:** [Pocock](https://bliptext.com/articles/reginald-innes-pocock), 1923 \n**Subdivision Ranks:** [Genera](https://bliptext.com/articles/genera) \n**Subdivision:** [Palaeosciurus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/palaeosciurus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Sciurotamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/sciurotamias)
· [Spermophilinus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/spermophilinus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Ammospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/ammospermophilus)
· [Spermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/spermophilus)
· [Notocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/notocitellus)
· [Otospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/otospermophilus)
· [Callospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/callospermophilus)
· [Xerospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/xerospermophilus)
· [Cynomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/cynomys)
· [Poliocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/poliocitellus)
· [Ictidomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/ictidomys)
· [Arctomyoides](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/arctomyoides) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Miospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/miospermophilus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Paenemarmota](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/paenemarmota) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Palaearctomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/palaearctomys) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Protospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/protospermophilus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Marmota](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/marmota)
· [Eutamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/eutamias)
· [Neotamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/neotamias)
· [Nototamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/nototamias) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil))
· [Tamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/tamias)
· [Urocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/urocitellus)
· and see [text](https://bliptext.com/articles/) \n:::\n\n# \n**Ground [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel)s** are [rodents](https://bliptext.com/articles/rodent) of the [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel) family ([Sciuridae](https://bliptext.com/articles/sciuridae)) that generally live on the ground or in [burrows](https://bliptext.com/articles/burrow), rather than in trees like the tree [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel)s.\nThe term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as [marmots](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmots) (genus Marmota) or [prairie dogs](https://bliptext.com/articles/prairie-dogs), while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk) (genus Tamias).\nTogether, they make up the \"marmot [tribe](https://bliptext.com/articles/tribe-biology)\" of squirrels, **Marmotini**, a [clade](https://bliptext.com/articles/clade) within the large and mainly ground squirrel [subfamily](https://bliptext.com/articles/subfamily) [Xerinae](https://bliptext.com/articles/xerinae), and containing six living [genera](https://bliptext.com/articles/genera).\nWell-known members of this largely [Holarctic](https://bliptext.com/articles/holarctic) group are the [marmots](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmot) (Marmota), including the American [groundhog](https://bliptext.com/articles/groundhog), the [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk), the [susliks](https://bliptext.com/articles/suslik) (Spermophilus), and the [prairie dogs](https://bliptext.com/articles/prairie-dog) (Cynomys).\nThey are highly variable in size and [habitus](https://bliptext.com/articles/morphology-biology), but most are remarkably able to rise up on their hind legs and [stand fully erect](https://bliptext.com/articles/upright-posture) comfortably for prolonged periods.\nThey also tend to be far more gregarious than other squirrels, and many live in colonies with complex social structures.\nMost Marmotini are rather short-tailed and large squirrels.\nAt up to 8 kg or more, certain marmots are the heaviest squirrels.\nThe [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk) of the genus Tamias frequently spend time in trees.\nAlso closer to typical squirrels in other aspects, they are occasionally considered a tribe of their own (Tamiini).\n\n# Evolution and systematics\n[Palaeosciurus](https://bliptext.com/articles/palaeosciurus) from [Europe](https://bliptext.com/articles/europe) is the oldest known ground squirrel species, and it does not seem to be particularly close to any of the two to three living lineages (subtribes) of Marmotini.\nThe oldest fossils are from the [Early Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/rupelian), more than 30 [million years ago](https://bliptext.com/articles/myr) (Mya), but the genus probably persisted at least until the mid-[Miocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/miocene), some 15 Mya.\nWhere the Marmotini originated is unclear.\nThe subtribes probably diverged in the early to mid-[Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/oligocene), as primitive marmots and chipmunks are known from the Late [Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/oligocene) of North America.\nThe [fossil record](https://bliptext.com/articles/fossil-record) of the \"true\" ground squirrels is less well known, beginning only in the mid-Miocene, when modern susliks and prairie dogs are known to have inhabited their present-day range already.\nWhether the Marmotini dispersed between North America and Eurasia via \"[island-hopping](https://bliptext.com/articles/oceanic-dispersal)\" across the [Bering Straits](https://bliptext.com/articles/bering-straits) or the [Greenland](https://bliptext.com/articles/greenland) region—both of which were temperate [habitat](https://bliptext.com/articles/habitat) at that time—and from which continent they dispersed to which, or if both continents brought forth distinct subtribes which then spread to the other, is not known and would probably require more fossil material to be resolved.\nIn any case, the fairly comprehensive fossil record of Europe—at the relevant time separated from Asia by the [Turgai Sea](https://bliptext.com/articles/turgai-sea)—lacks ancient Marmotini except the indeterminate Palaeosciurus, which might be taken to indicate an East Asian or western North American origin with trans-Beringia dispersal being the slightly more satisfying hypothesis.\nThis is also supported by the enigmatic Chinese genus [Sciurotamias](https://bliptext.com/articles/sciurotamias), which may be the most ancient living lineage of this group, or—if the chipmunks are not included here—close to the common ancestor of the Tamiini and the Marmotini sensu stricto.\nIn any case, expansion of the Marmotini to Africa was probably prevented by [competitive exclusion](https://bliptext.com/articles/competitive-exclusion) by their close relatives the [Protoxerini](https://bliptext.com/articles/protoxerini) and [Xerini](https://bliptext.com/articles/xerini)—the native terrestrial and palm squirrels of that continent, which must have [evolved](https://bliptext.com/articles/evolved) at the same time as the Marmotini did.\n# [20,000-year-old Arctic ground squirrel mummy | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Squirrel///Mummy.jpg]\n\n## Size\nGround squirrels can measure anywhere from about 7.2 in in height up to nearly 30 in.\nThey can weigh between 0.09 lbs and 24 lbs.\n\n## Habitat\nOpen areas including rocky outcrops, fields, pastures, and sparsely wooded hillsides comprise their habitat.\nGround squirrels also live in grassy areas such as pastures, golf courses, cemeteries, and parks.\n\n## Defense mechanisms\nGround squirrels have developed several defense mechanisms to protect themselves from predators.\nWhen threatened, they emit high-pitched warning calls to alert others in their colony.\nThis alarm call serves as an early warning system, allowing nearby squirrels to seek cover.\nThe squirrels spend about one-third of their time standing to watch and when a predator is in sight, they stop and watch 60% of the time.\nGround squirrels are also known for their burrowing behavior.\nThey have intricate tunnel systems with multiple entrances, which provide escape routes from predators.\nWhen a threat approaches, they quickly retreat underground, where they are safe from most predators.\nTheir burrows are designed with multiple chambers and ranges between 5 and 30 ft, making it challenging for predators to reach them.\nThis combination of vocal warnings and burrow construction makes ground squirrels highly adapted to evade danger and survive in the wild.\n# [California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) in a tree | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/California///Ground///Squirrel.jpg]\n\n## Diet\nGround squirrels are omnivorous, and not only eat a diet rich in fungi, nuts, fruits, and seeds, but also occasionally eat insects, eggs, and other small animals.\n\n## Subtribes and genera\n[Basal](https://bliptext.com/articles/basal-evolution) and [incertae sedis](https://bliptext.com/articles/incertae-sedis) genera\n**Subtribe Tamiina**: chipmunks (might be full tribe)\n**Subtribe Marmotina**: marmots and prairie dogs\n**Subtribe Spermophilina**: true ground squirrels\n# [Watchful \"rock chuck\" or yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) atop Mount Dana, Yosemite National Park in California | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Marmot-edit1.jpg]\n\n# Cladogram\nBelow is a partial [cladogram](https://bliptext.com/articles/cladogram) of ground squirrels (tribe [Marmotini](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmotini), but excluding the Tamiina subtribe and some basal genera) derived from maximum parsimony analysis.","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T19:33:44.608Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T19:33:44.608Z","search_vector":"'ground':1 'squirrel':2","search_content":" \n \n**Name:** Ground squirrel \n**Fossil Range:** [Early Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/rupelian) to recent \n**Image Caption:** Ground squirrel in [Turkey](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkey) \n**Taxon:** Marmotini \n**Authority:** [Pocock](https://bliptext.com/articles/reginald-innes-pocock), 1923 \n**Subdivision Ranks:** [Genera](https://bliptext.com/articles/genera) \n**Subdivision:** [Palaeosciurus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/palaeosciurus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Sciurotamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/sciurotamias) · [Spermophilinus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/spermophilinus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Ammospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/ammospermophilus) · [Spermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/spermophilus) · [Notocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/notocitellus) · [Otospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/otospermophilus) · [Callospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/callospermophilus) · [Xerospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/xerospermophilus) · [Cynomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/cynomys) · [Poliocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/poliocitellus) · [Ictidomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/ictidomys) · [Arctomyoides](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/arctomyoides) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Miospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/miospermophilus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Paenemarmota](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/paenemarmota) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Palaearctomys](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/palaearctomys) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Protospermophilus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/protospermophilus) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Marmota](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/marmota) · [Eutamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/eutamias) · [Neotamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/neotamias) · [Nototamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/nototamias) ([fossil](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/fossil)) · [Tamias](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/tamias) · [Urocitellus](https://blip[text](https://bliptext.com/articles/).com/articles/urocitellus) · and see [text](https://bliptext.com/articles/) \n \n\n# \n**Ground [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel)s** are [rodents](https://bliptext.com/articles/rodent) of the [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel) family ([Sciuridae](https://bliptext.com/articles/sciuridae)) that generally live on the ground or in [burrows](https://bliptext.com/articles/burrow), rather than in trees like the tree [squirrel](https://bliptext.com/articles/squirrel)s.\nThe term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as [marmots](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmots) (genus Marmota) or [prairie dogs](https://bliptext.com/articles/prairie-dogs), while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk) (genus Tamias).\nTogether, they make up the \"marmot [tribe](https://bliptext.com/articles/tribe-biology)\" of squirrels, **Marmotini**, a [clade](https://bliptext.com/articles/clade) within the large and mainly ground squirrel [subfamily](https://bliptext.com/articles/subfamily) [Xerinae](https://bliptext.com/articles/xerinae), and containing six living [genera](https://bliptext.com/articles/genera).\nWell-known members of this largely [Holarctic](https://bliptext.com/articles/holarctic) group are the [marmots](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmot) (Marmota), including the American [groundhog](https://bliptext.com/articles/groundhog), the [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk), the [susliks](https://bliptext.com/articles/suslik) (Spermophilus), and the [prairie dogs](https://bliptext.com/articles/prairie-dog) (Cynomys).\nThey are highly variable in size and [habitus](https://bliptext.com/articles/morphology-biology), but most are remarkably able to rise up on their hind legs and [stand fully erect](https://bliptext.com/articles/upright-posture) comfortably for prolonged periods.\nThey also tend to be far more gregarious than other squirrels, and many live in colonies with complex social structures.\nMost Marmotini are rather short-tailed and large squirrels.\nAt up to 8 kg or more, certain marmots are the heaviest squirrels.\nThe [chipmunks](https://bliptext.com/articles/chipmunk) of the genus Tamias frequently spend time in trees.\nAlso closer to typical squirrels in other aspects, they are occasionally considered a tribe of their own (Tamiini).\n\n# Evolution and systematics\n[Palaeosciurus](https://bliptext.com/articles/palaeosciurus) from [Europe](https://bliptext.com/articles/europe) is the oldest known ground squirrel species, and it does not seem to be particularly close to any of the two to three living lineages (subtribes) of Marmotini.\nThe oldest fossils are from the [Early Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/rupelian), more than 30 [million years ago](https://bliptext.com/articles/myr) (Mya), but the genus probably persisted at least until the mid-[Miocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/miocene), some 15 Mya.\nWhere the Marmotini originated is unclear.\nThe subtribes probably diverged in the early to mid-[Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/oligocene), as primitive marmots and chipmunks are known from the Late [Oligocene](https://bliptext.com/articles/oligocene) of North America.\nThe [fossil record](https://bliptext.com/articles/fossil-record) of the \"true\" ground squirrels is less well known, beginning only in the mid-Miocene, when modern susliks and prairie dogs are known to have inhabited their present-day range already.\nWhether the Marmotini dispersed between North America and Eurasia via \"[island-hopping](https://bliptext.com/articles/oceanic-dispersal)\" across the [Bering Straits](https://bliptext.com/articles/bering-straits) or the [Greenland](https://bliptext.com/articles/greenland) region—both of which were temperate [habitat](https://bliptext.com/articles/habitat) at that time—and from which continent they dispersed to which, or if both continents brought forth distinct subtribes which then spread to the other, is not known and would probably require more fossil material to be resolved.\nIn any case, the fairly comprehensive fossil record of Europe—at the relevant time separated from Asia by the [Turgai Sea](https://bliptext.com/articles/turgai-sea)—lacks ancient Marmotini except the indeterminate Palaeosciurus, which might be taken to indicate an East Asian or western North American origin with trans-Beringia dispersal being the slightly more satisfying hypothesis.\nThis is also supported by the enigmatic Chinese genus [Sciurotamias](https://bliptext.com/articles/sciurotamias), which may be the most ancient living lineage of this group, or—if the chipmunks are not included here—close to the common ancestor of the Tamiini and the Marmotini sensu stricto.\nIn any case, expansion of the Marmotini to Africa was probably prevented by [competitive exclusion](https://bliptext.com/articles/competitive-exclusion) by their close relatives the [Protoxerini](https://bliptext.com/articles/protoxerini) and [Xerini](https://bliptext.com/articles/xerini)—the native terrestrial and palm squirrels of that continent, which must have [evolved](https://bliptext.com/articles/evolved) at the same time as the Marmotini did.\n# [20,000-year-old Arctic ground squirrel mummy | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Squirrel///Mummy.jpg]\n\n## Size\nGround squirrels can measure anywhere from about 7.2 in in height up to nearly 30 in.\nThey can weigh between 0.09 lbs and 24 lbs.\n\n## Habitat\nOpen areas including rocky outcrops, fields, pastures, and sparsely wooded hillsides comprise their habitat.\nGround squirrels also live in grassy areas such as pastures, golf courses, cemeteries, and parks.\n\n## Defense mechanisms\nGround squirrels have developed several defense mechanisms to protect themselves from predators.\nWhen threatened, they emit high-pitched warning calls to alert others in their colony.\nThis alarm call serves as an early warning system, allowing nearby squirrels to seek cover.\nThe squirrels spend about one-third of their time standing to watch and when a predator is in sight, they stop and watch 60% of the time.\nGround squirrels are also known for their burrowing behavior.\nThey have intricate tunnel systems with multiple entrances, which provide escape routes from predators.\nWhen a threat approaches, they quickly retreat underground, where they are safe from most predators.\nTheir burrows are designed with multiple chambers and ranges between 5 and 30 ft, making it challenging for predators to reach them.\nThis combination of vocal warnings and burrow construction makes ground squirrels highly adapted to evade danger and survive in the wild.\n# [California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) in a tree | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/California///Ground///Squirrel.jpg]\n\n## Diet\nGround squirrels are omnivorous, and not only eat a diet rich in fungi, nuts, fruits, and seeds, but also occasionally eat insects, eggs, and other small animals.\n\n## Subtribes and genera\n[Basal](https://bliptext.com/articles/basal-evolution) and [incertae sedis](https://bliptext.com/articles/incertae-sedis) genera\n**Subtribe Tamiina**: chipmunks (might be full tribe)\n**Subtribe Marmotina**: marmots and prairie dogs\n**Subtribe Spermophilina**: true ground squirrels\n# [Watchful \"rock chuck\" or yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) atop Mount Dana, Yosemite National Park in California | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Marmot-edit1.jpg]\n\n# Cladogram\nBelow is a partial [cladogram](https://bliptext.com/articles/cladogram) of ground squirrels (tribe [Marmotini](https://bliptext.com/articles/marmotini), but excluding the Tamiina subtribe and some basal genera) derived from maximum parsimony analysis.","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}

History