Just about everyone who has put up a bird feeder in their backyard is familiar with the seed stealing Gray Squirrel. These furry creatures are just about everywhere. However, did you know that one of the most common squirrels is the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)? It can be found in many open areas such as golf courses, pastures, fields and highway rest stops. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is one of three species of ground squirrel in the Northland.

Ground squirrels are very different from the more familiar tree squirrels. Unlike their tree-climbing cousins, the ground squirrels, such as the thirteen-lined ground squirrel lead a subterranean life rarely leaving terra firma. Life underground in tunnels and dens has many advantages such as fewer predators, shelter from the weather and a labyrinth of tunnels to retreat to when presented with danger.

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is often very tame and can be easily fed by hand. They are a diurnal animal which simply means that they are most active during the daylight hours and usually only on sunny days. Cloudy days are usually spent underground. They are also true hibernators–sleeping from late August until mid April. Without a doubt they spend more time underground than they do above ground, which leads me to think, would they be more aptly named “underground squirrels”? But that’s just one naturalist’s opinion.

Like many critters in nature, common names come from a specific trait or habit of that particular animal. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is named for the thirteen stripes that run from the nape of the neck to the base of the tail. This is why it is sometimes called the “striped gopher”.

The thirteen stripes consist of seven narrow yellow stripes alternating with six brown stripes. Each of the brown stripes has a row of yellow dots running down the middle. This patterning has lead to another common name, the ‘federation squirrel’, so called because of its pattern of Stars and Stripes.

Sometimes confused with the eastern chipmunk, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel is larger, about 6-7 inches and has smaller ears and of course don’t forget the thirteen stripes on its back is a dead give-away. Their tail is about one-third the length of their body. Compared to the eastern chipmunk which is only 3-4 inches long and has only 3 stripes.

To accommodate its life scurrying through narrow tunnels, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel has short powerful legs for digging, and short ears. Since it’s protected from the weather by being underground it doesn’t have to snuggle up to a fat bushy tail like the gray squirrel.

Due to their long hibernation they only have enough time for one litter of young each summer. It’s not uncommon for a mother to give birth to 7 to 10 young. The high birth rate might make up for the single litter. The young emerge from the underground den between four and six weeks of age. And since they are gregarious animals the young will stay together and later will be digging tunnels near their parents.

Their genus name (Spermophilus) is Latin and means ‘seed lover’ and describes its preference for eating seeds. The only problem is they often will eat a wide variety of foods such as insects, mice, voles, lizards, toads, and even eat eggs of ground nesting birds. The term used to describe this wide variety of diet is called omnivore.

Until next time…