Spotted ground squirrel

The spotted ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus spilosoma, is a ground squirrel in the rodent family Sciuridae, found throughout Mexico and the central and western United States. It is one of the smallest squirrels of North America and is marked by white linear spots on the back and a white underbelly, while the rest of the coat ranges from brown through black and grey to white and tends to be darker in populations on soil-rich ground. It has especially large auditory bullae and molts twice a year. It lives in arid country with deep sandy soils and sparse vegetation, in sand hills, dunes and river banks, where it digs burrows for food storage, shelter and hibernation, sometimes using abandoned prairie dog burrows. It eats seeds and green plant parts, with grasshopper larvae in late summer, and hibernates from late July to April or May. The IUCN rates it Least Concern.