Southern Idaho ground squirrel

Southern Idaho ground squirrel
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Urocitellus
Species:	U. endemicus
Binomial name
Urocitellus endemicus (Yensen, 1991)

The southern Idaho ground squirrel (Urocitellus endemicus) is a species of the largest genus of ground squirrels. This species and the Northern Idaho ground squirrel were previously considered conspecific, together called the Idaho ground squirrel.

Description

The species has sexual dimorphism, with males being normally larger than females. Their weight ranges from 120 to 290 grams (0.26 to 0.64 lb) and are on average 233 millimetres (9.2 in) in length, though their range is 209 to 258 millimetres (8.2 to 10.2 in).

"Don't shoot" squirrels sign in Southwestern Idaho

Behavior

The southern Idaho ground squirrel can be found in an area about 30 by 70 kilometers (19 by 43 miles) extending from Emmett, Idaho, northwest to Weiser, Idaho, and the surrounding area of Squaw Butte, Midvale Hill, and Henley Basin in Gem, Payette, and Washington counties.

Its range is bounded on the south by the Payette River, on the west by the Snake River and on the northeast by lava flows. Their habitat is typified by rolling hills, basins, and flats at an altitude of between 670 and 975 meters (2,198 and 3,199 ft).

References

1. Yensen, E. (2018). "Urocitellus endemicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T20498A117636227. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T20498A117636227.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.

External links

• Digital Atlas of Idaho entry from Idaho State University
• Southern Idaho ground squirrel species profile from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service