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Home/Species/ Uinta Ground Squirrel

Urocitellus armatus

(Kennicott, 1863)

Uinta Ground Squirrel

G5Secure Found in 103 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104586
Element CodeAMAFB05050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusUrocitellus
Synonyms
Spermophilus armatusKennicott, 1863
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Taxonomic Comments
Recent molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that the traditionally recognized genera Marmota (marmots), Cynomys (prairie dogs), and Ammospermophilus (antelope ground squirrels) render Spermophilus paraphyletic, potentially suggesting that multiple generic-level lineages should be credited within Spermophilus (Helgen et al. 2009). As a result, ground squirrels formerly allocated to the genus Spermophilus (sensu Thorington and Hoffman, in Wilson and Reeder 2005) are now classified in 8 genera (Notocitellus, Otospermophilus, Callospermophilus, Ictidomys, Poliocitellus, Xerospermophilus, and Urocitellus). Spermophilus sensu stricto is restricted to Eurasia.
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-11-06
Change Date1996-11-06
Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Common within a somewhat restricted range.
Range Extent Comments
Intermountain west region of United States; southern Montana, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming and north-central Utah.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Dry meadows, pastures and cultivated fields in high valleys; also in montane grasslands and shrub-steppes almost to timberline (Eshelman and Sonnemann 2000). Digs underground burrows.

Ecology

Lives in large colonies.

Reproduction

Females produce 1 litter of 4-6 altricial young/year. Young are born usually in April (Burt and Grossenheider 1964).
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerow
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoS4Yes
MontanaSUYes
WyomingS3Yes
UtahS5Yes
Roadless Areas (103)
Idaho (6)
AreaForestAcres
Borah PeakSalmon-Challis National Forest130,463
Boulder - White CloudsSalmon-Challis National Forest139,297
Boulder - White CloudsSawtooth National Forest322,653
Italian PeakCaribou-Targhee National Forest141,158
Lemhi RangeSalmon-Challis National Forest308,533
PalisadesCaribou-Targhee National Forest122,002
Montana (11)
AreaForestAcres
Freezeout MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest97,305
Gallatin FringeGallatin National Forest51,571
Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study AreaGallatin National Forest143,991
Italian PeakBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest90,401
LionheadGallatin National Forest33,549
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Mt. Gmt Area HCuster National Forest1,335
North AbsarokaGallatin National Forest159,075
Proposed Line Creek PrnaCuster National Forest389
Sourdough MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest14,933
Tenderfoot - Deep CreekLewis and Clark National Forest85,614
Utah (56)
AreaForestAcres
0401001Ashley National Forest11,705
0401031Ashley National Forest7,110
0419020Ashley National Forest355,684
418001Uinta National Forest5,697
418002Uinta National Forest19,152
418003Uinta National Forest10,912
418004Uinta National Forest16,661
418007Uinta National Forest6,816
418009Uinta National Forest18,064
418013Uinta National Forest14,643
418015Uinta National Forest17,289
418016Uinta National Forest35,240
418017Uinta National Forest19,631
418018Uinta National Forest11,218
418019Uinta National Forest6,854
418024Uinta National Forest51,699
418025Uinta National Forest32,698
418026Uinta National Forest14,038
418027Uinta National Forest13,884
418028Uinta National Forest34,002
418040Uinta National Forest1,702
418043Uinta National Forest9,493
Boulder MountainWasatch-Cache National Forest8,852
Boulder Mtn. / Boulder Top / Deer LakeDixie National Forest110,690
Boulger - Black CanyonManti-Lasal National Forest23,286
Burch CreekWasatch-Cache National Forest6,938
Dairy ForkManti-Lasal National Forest30,222
East MountainManti-Lasal National Forest30,705
Fishlake MountainFishlake National Forest25,217
GibsonWasatch-Cache National Forest5,350
Happy ValleyDixie National Forest14,458
High Uintas (UT)Wasatch-Cache National Forest102,398
Hilgard MountainFishlake National Forest28,389
HogsbackWasatch-Cache National Forest7,936
LakesWasatch-Cache National Forest121,967
Little West Fork BlacksWasatch-Cache National Forest8,209
Lone Peak ContiguousWasatch-Cache National Forest874
Long Neck Mesa / Steep Creek / Oak Creek - Steep Creek / OakDixie National Forest55,489
Mahogany RangeWasatch-Cache National Forest11,409
Mollens HollowWasatch-Cache National Forest17,690
Mt. AireWasatch-Cache National Forest9,681
Mt. NaomiWasatch-Cache National Forest41,922
Mt. OlympusWasatch-Cache National Forest9,982
Mt. Um Plateau - Mt TerrillFishlake National Forest17,490
MytogeFishlake National Forest8,286
NoblettsWasatch-Cache National Forest3,116
Right Hand Fork LoganWasatch-Cache National Forest15,023
SanpitchManti-Lasal National Forest29,129
Sugar PineWasatch-Cache National Forest5,600
Swan Creek MountainWasatch-Cache National Forest9,390
Temple PeakWasatch-Cache National Forest24,081
Thousand Lake MountainFishlake National Forest27,267
Twin PeaksWasatch-Cache National Forest6,157
Upper South ForkWasatch-Cache National Forest16,811
White MountainFishlake National Forest23,939
White PineWasatch-Cache National Forest1,942
Wyoming (30)
AreaForestAcres
Beartooth Proposed WildernessShoshone National Forest16,837
Gannett Hills - Spring CreekBridger-Teton National Forest45,462
Grayback RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest295,113
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
Lake Alice - Commissary RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest166,707
Little Sheep MountainBridger-Teton National Forest14,192
Monument RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest17,720
Mosquito Lake - Seven LakesBridger-Teton National Forest51,950
Munger MountainBridger-Teton National Forest12,827
Pacific Creek - Blackrock CreekBridger-Teton National Forest24,658
PalisadesTarghee National Forest1,121
Pat O'haraShoshone National Forest10,912
Phillips RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest10,108
ReefShoshone National Forest16,817
Salt River RangeBridger-Teton National Forest235,661
Sleeping GiantShoshone National Forest5,176
South Beartooth HighwayShoshone National Forest105,570
South Wyoming RangeBridger-Teton National Forest85,776
Spread Creek - Gros Ventre RiverBridger-Teton National Forest166,097
Sulphur CreekShoshone National Forest30,221
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
Togwotee PassShoshone National Forest7,344
Trout CreekShoshone National Forest44,034
Wapiti Valley NorthShoshone National Forest18,345
Wapiti Valley SouthShoshone National Forest43,517
West DunoirShoshone National Forest2,542
West Slope TetonsTarghee National Forest47,448
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
Windy MountainShoshone National Forest31,283
References (21)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2025. Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.13) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10595931. Online. Available: https://www.mammaldiversity.org/
  2. Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp.
  3. Burt, W. H. and R. P. Grossenheider. 1964. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  4. Drabek, C. M. 1973. Home range and daily activity of the round-tailed ground squirrel, <i>Spermophilus tereticaudus neglectus</i>. American Midland Naturalist 89:287-93.
  5. Eshelman, B. D. and C. S. Sonnemann. 2000. SPERMOPHILUS ARMATUS. Mammalian Species No. 637:1-6.
  6. Evans, F. C., and R. Holdenried. 1943. A population study of the Beechey ground squirrel in central California. Journal of Mammalogy 24:231-260.
  7. Hafner, D. J. 1992. Speciation and persistence of a contact zone in Mojave Desert ground squirrels, subgenus <i>Xerospermophilus</i>. Journal of Mammalogy 73:770-778.
  8. Harris, J. H., and P. Leitner. 2004. Home-range size and use of space by adult Mohave ground squirrels, <i>Spermophilus mohavensis</i>. Journal of Mammalogy 85:517-523.
  9. Helgen, K. M., F. R. Cole, L. E. Helgen, and D. E. Wilson. 2009. Generic revision in the holarctic ground squirrel genus <i>Spermophilus</i>. Journal of Mammalogy 90(2):270-305.
  10. Johnson, K. 1981. Social organization in a colony of rock squirrels (<i>Spermophilus variegatus</i>). Southwestern Naturalist 26:237-242.
  11. Larrison, E.J. and D.R. Johnson. 1981. Mammals of Idaho. The University of Idaho Press, Moscow.
  12. Morton, M. L., C. S. Maxwell, and C. E. Wade. 1974. Body size, body composition, and behavior of juvenile Belding ground squirrels. Great Basin Naturalist 34:121-134.
  13. Murie, J. O. 1973. Population characteristics and phenology of a Franklin ground squirrel <i>(Spermophilus franklinii)</i> colony in central Alberta. American Midland Naturalist 90:334-40.
  14. Murie, J. O., and G. R. Michener, editors. 1984. The biology of ground-dwelling squirrels: annual cycles, behavioral ecology and sociality. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln. xvi + 459 pp.
  15. Murie, J. O., and M. A. Harris. 1978. Territoriality and dominance in male Columbian ground squirrels (<i>Spermophilus columbianus</i>). Canadian Journal of Zoology 56:2402-12
  16. Olson, G. S., and B. Van Horne. 1998. Dispersal patterns of juvenile Townsend's ground squirrels in southwestern Idaho. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76:2084-2089.
  17. Owings, D. H., M. Borchert, and R. A. Virginia. 1977. The behaviour of California ground squirrels. Animal Behaviour 25:221-30.
  18. Recht, M. A. 1977. The biology of the Mohave ground squirrel (<i>Spermophilus mohavensis</i>): home range, daily activity, foraging and weight gain, and thermoregulatory behavior. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. 117 pp.
  19. Slade, N. A., and D. F. Balph. 1974. Population ecology of Uinta ground squirrels. Ecology 55:989-1003.
  20. Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 745 pp.
  21. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.