Hey Goldie! Ten Fun Facts About Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels

                                                       Image from Pomegranate.com

This past week has been chock full of Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels for me, starting with just a few sightings and ending with a new Goldie whom Kate and I named Cam! So today I decided to share a few fun facts about Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel: 

1. Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels are solitary animals, usually only coming together to mate.

2. They are mostly diurnal. (Active during the day.)

3. They spend the winter in a hibernation state called 'torpor'.

4. Females hibernate for 2-3 weeks more then males. Males will fight for territories right after coming out of hibernation, and females will usually mate with whoever's territory she wakes up in.

5.The gestation period lasts for 26-33 days.

6. Females have 1-2 litters per year.

7. Kits leave the burrow when they are 25% of the adult size.

8. They clean their fur by rolling around in the dust.

9. They will cache extra food in their burrows.

10. Luckily, they are classified as Least Concern! (LC)

-Lili