Saturday, June 15, 2013

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The golden-mantled ground squirrel is found in mountainous areas of western North America. They look similar to chipmunks with stripes running up their sides but they do have any stripes on their faces as chipmunks do. They act similar to chipmunks, carrying food in their cheeks. They carry it back to their shallow burrow, which is often located under the rocks or tree roots. They need to eat a lot to build up fat reserves. Because unlike the Uinta chipmunks, who share their habitat, the golden-mantled ground squirrel hibernates through the winter. However they do also cache some food so that they can eat right away when they wake up in the spring.