Washington ground squirrel

Species of rodent

Washington ground squirrel

Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Rodentia
Family:  | Sciuridae
Genus:  | Urocitellus
Species:  |

U. washingtoni

Binomial name
Urocitellus washingtoni

(A.H.Howell, 1938)

Synonyms

Spermophilus washingtoni A. H. Howell, 1938

The Washington ground squirrel (Urocitellus washingtoni) is near threatened species of squirrel distributed in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon, United States.

## Distribution

[edit]

The Washington ground squirrel lives in sagebrush or grassland habitats in the Columbia River Basin of Washington and Oregon. Washington ground squirrels hibernate/estivate 7–8 months each year. Adults breed shortly after emergence from hibernation in January or February and juveniles emerge from the natal burrow in March. Juveniles disperse away from the natal burrow and settle into new areas. All Washington ground squirrels gain weight and prepare for hibernation in late spring and early summer. Juveniles immerge for estivation in June or July, and adults begin estivating earlier, often in June.

One radiotracking study focused on dispersal of Washington ground squirrels.[2] It found that 72% percent of juvenile males dispersed in April. Dispersal distances ranged from 40 to 3521 meters and the median dispersal distance was 880 meters. Twenty to 56% of radio-collared juvenile squirrels survived to estivation. Raptors and badgers were the primary causes of mortality. Survival rates of dispersers were higher than non-dispersers, mostly due to badger predation on natal sites.

## Conservation

[edit]

The species is listed as endangered in Oregon and is a candidate for endangered species listing in the United States, but is not currently listed. The IUCN formerly listed the species as vulnerable, but currently it is listed as near threatened.[1]

## See also

[edit]

* Ground squirrel

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Yensen, E.; Hammerson, G. & Popper, K. P. (2008). "Spermophilus washingtoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2009.{{cite iucn}}: old-form url (help)
2. ^ Klein, K. J. 2005. Dispersal patterns of Washington ground squirrels in Oregon. M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. 127 pp.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Urocitellus washingtoni.

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Living species of tribe Marmotini (ground squirrels)

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Class: Mammalia
* Order: Rodentia
* Suborder: Sciuromorpha
* Family: Sciuridae
* Subfamily: Xerinae

Ammospermophilus
(antelope squirrels)|

* Harris's antelope squirrel (A. harrisii)
* Espíritu Santo antelope squirrel (A. insularis)
* Texas antelope squirrel (A. interpres)
* White-tailed antelope squirrel (A. leucurus)
* San Joaquin antelope squirrel (A. nelsoni)

Callospermophilus
(golden-mantled ground squirrels)|

* Golden-mantled ground squirrel (C. lateralis)
* Sierra Madre ground squirrel (C. madrensis)
* Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel (C. saturatus)

Cynomys
(prairie dogs)|

* Gunnison's prairie dog (C. gunnisoni)
* White-tailed prairie dog (C. leucurus)
* Black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus)
* Mexican prairie dog (C. mexicanus)
* Utah prairie dog (C. parvidens)

Eutamias|

* Siberian chipmunk (E. sibiricus)

Ictidomys
(little ground squirrels)|

* Mexican ground squirrel (I. mexicanus)
* Rio Grande ground squirrel (I. parvidens)
* Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (I. tridecemlineatus)

Marmota
(marmots)|

Subgenus Marmota: Gray marmot (M. baibacina)

* Bobak marmot (M. bobak)
* Alaska marmot (M. broweri)
* Black-capped marmot (M. camtschatica)
* Long-tailed marmot (M. caudata)
* Himalayan marmot (M. himalayana)
* Alpine marmot (M. marmota)
* Menzbier's marmot (M. menzbieri)
* Groundhog or woodchuck (M. monax)
* Tarbagan marmot (M. sibirica)
Subgenus Petromarmota: Hoary marmot (M. caligata)
* Yellow-bellied marmot (M. flaviventris)
* Olympic marmot (M. olympus)
* Vancouver Island marmot (M. vancouverensis)

Neotamias
(western chipmunks)|

* Alpine chipmunk (N. alpinus)
* Yellow-pine chipmunk (N. amoenus)
* Buller's chipmunk (N. bulleri)
* Gray-footed chipmunk (N. canipes)
* Gray-collared chipmunk (N. cinereicollis)
* Cliff chipmunk (N. dorsalis)
* Durango chipmunk (N. durangae)
* Merriam's chipmunk (N. merriami)
* Least chipmunk (N. minimus)
* California chipmunk (N. obscurus)
* Yellow-cheeked chipmunk (N. ochrogenys)
* Palmer's chipmunk (N. palmeri)
* Panamint chipmunk (N. panamintinus)
* Long-eared chipmunk (N. quadrimaculatus)
* Colorado chipmunk (N. quadrivittatus)
* Red-tailed chipmunk (N. ruficaudus)
* Hopi chipmunk (N. rufus)
* Allen's chipmunk (N. senex)
* Siskiyou chipmunk (N. siskiyou)
* Sonoma chipmunk (N. sonomae)
* Lodgepole chipmunk (N. speciosus)
* Townsend's chipmunk (N. townsendii)
* Uinta chipmunk (N. umbrinus)

Notocitellus|

* Tropical ground squirrel (N. adocetus)
* Ring-tailed ground squirrel (N. annulatus)

Otospermophilus
(rock squirrels)|

* Baja California rock squirrel (O. atricapillus)
* California ground squirrel (O. beecheyi)
* Rock squirrel (O. variegatus)

Poliocitellus|

* Franklin's ground squirrel (P. franklinii)

Sciurotamias
(Asian rock squirrels)|

* Père David's rock squirrel (S. davidianus)
* Forrest's rock squirrel (S. forresti)

Spermophilus sensu stricto
(Old World ground squirrels)|

* Alashan ground squirrel (S. alashanicus)
* Brandt’s ground squirrel (S. brevicauda)
* European ground squirrel (S. citellus)
* Daurian ground squirrel (S. dauricus)
* Red-cheeked ground squirrel (S. erythrogenys)
* Yellow ground squirrel (S. fulvus)
* Russet ground squirrel (S. major)
* Caucasian mountain ground squirrel (S. musicus)
* Tian Shan ground squirrel (S. nilkaensis)
* Pallid ground squirrel (S. pallidicauda)
* Little ground squirrel (S. pygmaeus)
* Relict ground squirrel (S. relictus)
* Speckled ground squirrel (Spermophilus suslicus)
* Taurus ground squirrel (Spermophilus taurensis)
* Asia Minor ground squirrel (Spermophilus xanthoprymnus)

Tamias|

* Eastern chipmunk (T. striatus)

Urocitellus
(Holarctic ground squirrels)|

* Uinta ground squirrel (U. armatus)
* Belding's ground squirrel (U. beldingi)
* Northern Idaho ground squirrel (U. brunneus)
* Merriam's ground squirrel (U. canus)
* Columbian ground squirrel (U. columbianus)
* Wyoming ground squirrel (U. elegans)
* Southern Idaho ground squirrel (U. endemicus)
* Piute ground squirrel (U. mollis)
* Arctic ground squirrel (U. parryii)
* Richardson's ground squirrel (U. richardsonii)
* Townsend's ground squirrel (U. townsendii)
* Long-tailed ground squirrel (U. undulatus)
* Washington ground squirrel (U. washingtoni)

Xerospermophilus
(pygmy ground squirrels)|

* Mohave ground squirrel (X. mohavensis)
* Perote ground squirrel (X. perotensis)
* Spotted ground squirrel (X. spilosoma)
* Round-tailed ground squirrel (X. tereticaudus)

Category

Taxon identifiers

Spermophilus washingtoni|

* Wikidata: Q1766156
* ADW: Spermophilus_washingtoni
* ARKive: spermophilus-washingtoni
* CoL: 4YKBL
* GBIF: 2437314
* IRMNG: 11432379
* ITIS: 180164
* MSW: 12401129

Urocitellus washingtoni|

* Wikidata: Q21730578
* Wikispecies: Urocitellus washingtoni
* CoL: 7DTS7
* GBIF: 8055765
* iNaturalist: 180005
* ITIS: 930325
* IUCN: 20475
* MDD: 1001797
* NatureServe: 2.101353
* NCBI: 99868
* Observation.org: 87760
* Open Tree of Life: 833685

Authority control databases: National |

* Israel

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