Urocitellus beldingi (Merriam, 1888)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6840660 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF90-ED6D-FAF3-FF09F78DFB05 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Urocitellus beldingi |
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205. View On
Belding’s Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus beldingi View in CoL
French: Spermophile de Belding / German: Belding-Ziesel / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre de Belding
Taxonomy. Spermophilus beldingi Merriam, 1888 View in CoL ,
“Donner, [Placer Co.,] California
[USA].”
Found in E Oregon, SW Idaho, NE California, N Nevada, and NW Utah, USA. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
U.b.beldingiMerriam,1888—NCCaliforniaandWNevada(USA).
U.b.creberHall,1940—EOregon,NECalifornia,andNWNevada(USA).
U. b. oregonus Merriam, 1898 — SW Idaho, NC & NE Nevada, and SE Oregon (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 204-7 mm (males) and 208-6 mm (females), tail mean 64-9 mm (males) and 63-1 mm (females); weight mean 228-6 g (males) and 265-2 g (females). Belding’s Ground Squirrel is a small-sized ground squirrel with a reddish brown dorsum without stripes or spots; venter is cinnamon. Tail is short, flat, and bushy with a reddish underside and red, black and white banded tricolor hairs. Nominate subspecies beldingi is the darkest subspecies with a reddish brown suffused dorsum. Subspecies oregonus is intermediate and creber is the lightest colored subspecies. Chromosome complement of Belding’s Ground Squirrel is 2n = 30, FN = 56.
Habitat. Grassy meadows, sagebrush (Artemisia, Asteraceae) communities, or the ecotone of these two ecosystems, in alpine and subalpine zones. The preferred habitat of Belding’s Ground Squirrel includes open mesic vegetation, often with a nearby water source. It will heavily use agricultural field and rangelands when available.
Food and Feeding. Belding’s Ground Squirrel is an herbivore that feeds on most tissues of grasses and forbs; however, seeds are consumed later in the season. Time invested in feeding increases through the season in anticipation of hibernation. Visual cues are important in foraging, and young appear to learn food preferences from their mothers. It will consume insects and scavenge animal tissue; infanticide and cannibalism have been occasionally reported.
Breeding. Belding’s Ground Squirrel inhabits burrows with a vegetation-lined nest chamber in which young are born. Males emerge in early spring and are reproductively active for about a month. Females emerge 1-2 weeks after males, become sexually active within five days, and breeding season lasts for c¢.2 weeks. Although mating season lasts a few weeks, individual females are receptive for only up to six hours on a single day. Copulation occurs aboveground, and multiple paternities ofsingle litters appears common. Gestation lasts 23-28 daysafter which a single annuallitter of 5-8-7-4 young for adults and 4-8 young for yearlings is born.
Activity patterns. Belding’s Ground Squirrel is a diurnal squirrel in which males hibernate alone and females hibernate in groups. Hibernation of adult males lasts ¢.280 days at higher elevations but is shorter at lower elevations. It can be a nuisance near gardens and is considered a pest around cultivated crops and on some rangelands.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Belding’s Ground Squirrel lives in colonies in which density can vary from 1-2 ind/ha to 304 ind/ha. Females and their female kin defend small territories around burrow until young are weaned. Females are philopatric, whereas juvenile males disperse. Natal dispersal, as well as related behavior that helps these squirrels prepare for dispersal, appears to be controlled by body condition (fat content) and mass, and it may be influenced by endogenous hormonal cues.Juveniles regularly engage in play behavior. Infanticide is common in the Belding’s Ground Squirrel and can account for ¢.30% of all juvenile mortalities, and it is most commonly committed by yearling males (for food) and by adult females soon after moving to a new colony. Alarm calling is common and is used to warn kin. A short whistle is associated with higher risks and fast predators, and causes neighbors to retreat to their burrows. A long trill evokes heightened vigilance. Young Belding’s Ground Squirrels can discriminate between alarm calls within five days of emergence. It produces scents from both oral and dorsal apocrine glands that are used for identification of close kin and unfamiliar relatives. It only displays nepotistic behavior toward close kin.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. Population trend is considered to be stable. The widespread distribution and legally protected nature of portions of the high elevations inhabited by Belding’s Ground Squirrel suggest that risk of loss is low.
Bibliography. Anthony (1928), Brooks & Mateo (2013), Bushberg & Holmes (1985), Chappel et al. (1995), Dobson & Jones (1985), Dosmann & Mateo (2014), Dosmann et al. (2015), Duncan & Jenkins (1998), Eastman et al. (2012), Holekamp (1986), Holmes (1984), Holmes & Mateo (1998), Jenkins & Eshelman (1984), Linzey & NatureServe (Hammerson) (2008ak), Mateo (1996, 2002, 2003, 2006a, 2006b), Mateo & Holmes (1997, 1999), Mateo & Johnston (2000), McCowan & Hooper (2002), Morelli et al. (2012), Nunes & Holekamp (1996), Nunes, Duniec et al. (1999), Nunes, Ha et al. (1998), Nunes, Muecke, Anthony & Batterbee (1999), Nunes, Muecke & Holekamp (2002), Nunes, Muecke, Lancaster et al. (2004), Peacock & Jenkins (1988), Thorington et al. (2012), Trombulak (1989), Verts & Costain (1988), Whisson et al. (1999).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
