Mohave ground squirrel

The Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) is a small ground squirrel that lives only in the Mojave Desert of California, where it is found in the western part of the desert across portions of Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. It was first described in 1886 by Frank Stephens of San Diego. The animal measures roughly nine inches from nose to tail and eats the leaves and seeds of desert shrubs and annual plants, including winterfat, spiny hopsage, boxthorn, lupine and several wildflowers, mostly between February and July. Near the end of July, and as early as April in drought years, it begins a period of estivation. Breeding depends on rainfall, since populations generally do not reproduce after winters with less than 80 millimetres of precipitation, and local populations can disappear if a drought lasts several years. It is listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act, and the IUCN lists it as near threatened.