Wild Guide: Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is small and slender, with 13 alternating light and dark stripes running along its back and sides from head to rump. The light stripes are yellowish to white, and the dark ones are blackish to reddish brown, broken by a series of light spots. It has large eyes and small ears set low on the head, and a slightly bushy tail about half as long as the body.

Did You Know?

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel prefers to live in open areas where the grass is short. Its home is a burrow in the ground with several outside entrances. The main entrance is open during the day, but the squirrel plugs the opening at night with sod or grass.