Urocitellus undulatus (Pallas, 1778)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6818966 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FF96-ED6C-FAC8-FCC6FD2FF643 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Urocitellus undulatus |
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200. View On
Long-tailed Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus undulatus View in CoL
French: Spermophile de Sibérie / German: Langschwanzziesel / Spanish: Ardilla terrestre de cola larga
Taxonomy. Mus citillus var. undulatum [sic] Pallas, 1779,
“Selenga River valley,”
Buryat
ASSR, Russia.
Six subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
U.u.undulatusPallas,1778—W&SWTransbaikalregion(Russia).
U.u.eversmanniBrandt,1841—AltaiMtsinFEKazakhstan,SRussia,WMongolia,andNWChina(NXinjiang).
U.u.jacutensisBrandt,1844—NESiberia,intheregionaroundYakutsk(Russia).
U.u.menzbieriOgnev,1937—alongtheAmurRiverinRussianFarEastandNEChina(NHeilongjiang).
U.u.stramineusObolenskij,1927—TianShanMtsinEKazakhstan,WMongolia,andNWChina(NWXinjiang).
U. u. transbaikalicus Obolenskij, 1927 — N & NE Mongolia, and E Transbaikal region (Russia).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 210-315 mm, tail 100-140 mm; weight 250-580 g. Dorsal pelage of the Long-tailed Ground Squirrel varies from straw yellow to russet to ocher, with white to grayish spots and is sometimes suffused with gray. Head is generally darker brown on top, with straw yellow cheeks and lower jaw. Sides are reddish and ventral pelage varies from straw yellow to orange to rust. Tail is grizzled gray to black on dorsal side, with a frosting of white near tip, ventrally it is rust colored near base. Subspecies eversmanni is smallish but brightly colored, with intense rust and orange tones. Subspecies jacutensis is large and pale. Subspecies menzbieri is the largest of the subspecies and very pale. Subspecies stramineus is extremely pale, with underparts a light orange-yellow. Subspecies transbaikalicus is quite variable in size, ranging from intermediate to extremely large. The head is a bright cinnamon buffy clay. Chromosome complement of the Long-tailed Ground Squirrel is 2n = 34, FN = 64.
Habitat. A variety of open environments, such as semi-desert, grass, mountain steppes, alpine meadows, savannas, and areas along rivers.
Food and Feeding. The Long-tailed Ground Squirrel feeds mostly on green shoots, flowers, seeds, and leaves. Insects and animal matter are also consumed when available. It caches food for winter, collecting food and transporting it to the burrow in cheek pouches.
Breeding. Breeding occurs soon after females emerge from burrow, and after a gestation of ¢.30 days, a litter of 1-11 young, weighing 8-1-13-2 g each, are born in burrow. Young emerge at 4-5 weeks of age. Only one litter is produced a year, but more than 90% of females reproduce each year. Infanticide is common in the Long-tailed Ground Squirrel.
Activity patterns. The Long-tailed Ground Squirrel is diurnal and terrestrial, and hibernates from September or October to March or April. Males begin hibernation first and emerge 1-2 weeks before females.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. A single male and several females defend a communalterritory of ¢.0-16 ha, and the male scent-marks throughout area. Dense colonies have numerous burrows, very conspicuous with large soil mounds demarcating the entrances. Burrows are complex and usually have multiple entrances, and can be up to 15 m in length and 3 m in depth. Alarm calls are high-pitched but relatively soft.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current population trend is stable. The Long-tailed Ground Squirrel was formerly hunted in large numbers for their pelts, but nowadays, this practice is rare. Between 1958 and 1960 as many as 551,000 pelts may have been harvested annually. When found near agricultural areas, they are usually considered pests. The Long-tailed Ground Squirrel occurs in a few protected areas within its distribution.
Bibliography. Badmaev (2008), Hayssen et al. (1993), Ognev (1963), Ricankova et al. (2006), Smith & Yan Xie (2008), Steiner (1972), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.