Uinta Ground Squirrel
Encyclopedia
The Uinta ground squirrel (Urocitellus armatus), commonly called a Potgut in northern Utah
, is a native of the northern Rocky Mountains
and surrounding foothills of the United States
including Idaho
, Montana
, Utah, and Wyoming
. Their habitat includes dry meadows, grasslands, and cultivated fields close to water.
The squirrels eat foods including seeds, green vegetation, insects, and meat. They are fully active for roughly 3½ months in the spring and summer before beginning estivation
and hibernation
in burrows underground. During their active periods the squirrels are diurnal and often live in colonies.
The squirrels mate in the early spring and females give birth after about a month of gestation
. Young leave the burrow at twenty-four days. Litters usually include four to six young with older females generally producing larger litters. Adults weigh between 285g–425g.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, is a native of the northern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and surrounding foothills of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
including Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Utah, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Their habitat includes dry meadows, grasslands, and cultivated fields close to water.
The squirrels eat foods including seeds, green vegetation, insects, and meat. They are fully active for roughly 3½ months in the spring and summer before beginning estivation
Estivation
Aestivation is a state of animal dormancy, characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, that is entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions...
and hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
in burrows underground. During their active periods the squirrels are diurnal and often live in colonies.
The squirrels mate in the early spring and females give birth after about a month of gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
. Young leave the burrow at twenty-four days. Litters usually include four to six young with older females generally producing larger litters. Adults weigh between 285g–425g.
External links
- Uinta Ground Squirrel page at the Utah Conservation Data Center of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
- eNature Flash Card
- LaValle, A. 2000. "Spermophilus armatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 25, 2007 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Spermophilus_armatus.html.