Can you identify the critter above? If you said chipmunk, you would not be alone. But you would be wrong. There was a minor stir on social media recently with some people thinking the above was a chipmunk misidentified as a squirrel. It is in fact a squirrel, specifically a golden-mantled ground squirrel. Compare with a chipmunk below—notice the stripes on the chipmunk’s face. That said, chipmunks are technically squirrels as well.

Ground squirrels, tree squirrels (such as the fox squirrel anyone with a bird feeder will be familiar with), chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs are all members of Sciuridae, the squirrel family. There are around 280 species in the family, present on all continents except Antarctica (they were introduced to Australia). Squirrels are in the rodent order and, unlike other rodents, generally have long bushy tails.

There are five species of chipmunks found in Colorado, the smallest and most common called the least chipmunk, though the species are difficult to differentiate by sight. All chipmunks have stripes on both the back and the face. Often found in pine forests, chipmunks are diurnal (active during the daytime) and mostly keep to the ground, eating seeds, berries, fruit and insects. Chipmunks do not hibernate, but they do enter torpor for long periods of time in winter, periodically waking to feed on food cached in their burrows.

Colorado is home to several species of ground squirrels, which are typically a bit larger than chipmunks. Species that may be found in Douglas County include the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, rock squirrel and golden-mantled ground squirrel.

As one might expect, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, also known as the leopard ground squirrel, have 13 lines along the length of their bodies, with every other stripe broken into spots. Solitary animals, they are strictly diurnal and are most active on the warmest days, with a relatively small home range of just two to three acres. They eat weed seeds and insects and are true hibernators.

The speckled rock squirrel is fickle about habitat, preferring steep rocky hills, such as in Roxborough State Park. They are larger than the other ground squirrels on this list, closer in size to a fox squirrel.

The golden-mantled ground squirrel, found mostly in the southwest portion of Douglas County, has a varied, omnivorous diet and is more commonly seen seeking food from humans than other ground squirrels.

Different species of ground squirrels can be found in diverse habitats, even within Colorado. Wyoming ground squirrels, which do not have spots or stripes and look a bit like small prairie dogs, typically prefer more mountainous habitats north of Douglas County. Some ground squirrels prefer more arid climates, such as the white-tailed antelope squirrel found in western Colorado and the spotted ground squirrel found in eastern Colorado.

 

 

By Rachel Poe; photos courtesy of Charles J. Sharp, Phil Armitage, Mnmazur and Peter Chin