Belding's Ground Squirrel is a small, reddish-tan ground squirrel of high-mountain meadows in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin ranges, famous in behavioral ecology for its nepotistic alarm-calling behavior—females give alarm calls more readily when close relatives are nearby. It has been extensively studied by Paul Sherman and colleagues for its cooperative behavior and kin-selection dynamics. This squirrel hibernates for up to eight months at high elevations.
Habitat
Alpine and subalpine meadows of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin
Diet
Grasses, forbs, seeds, and insects
How common
Common
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