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.
Best time to see a Belding's Ground Squirrel
The best time to see a Belding's Ground Squirrel is May–July, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 2,560 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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Recent Belding's Ground Squirrel sightings near you
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