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Home/Species/ White-tailed Antelope Squirrel

Ammospermophilus leucurus

(Merriam, 1889)

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel

G5Secure Found in 49 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103162
Element CodeAMAFB04020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusAmmospermophilus
Other Common Names
white-tailed antelope squirrel (EN)
Concept Reference
Alvarez-Castaneda, S. T. 2007. Systematics of the antelope ground squirrel (Ammospermophilus) from islands adjacent to the Baja California peninsula. Journal of Mammalogy 88: 1160-1169.
Taxonomic Comments
Includes Ammospermophilus insularis (Alvarez-Castaneda 2007).
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-11-06
Change Date1996-11-06
Range Extent Comments
Southwestern North America: southeastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, Nevada, most of Utah, western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, northern Arizona, eastern and southern California, and Baja California (including Isla San Marcos) (Belk and Smith 1991).
Threat Impact Comments
Apparently little affected by construction of campgrounds and roads (see Belk and Smith 1991).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Low dry desert and foothills; shrubby areas with sandy to rocky soil. Alkali sink; shrublands with sagebrush, greasewood, shadscale, creosotebush, or sometimes juniper; Sonoran and lower Transition life zones. Burrows may be under a shrub (usually) or in the open; often uses abandoned burrows of kangaroo rats; may use multiple burrows over a period of a few weeks. Young are born in underground burrows.

Ecology

Primarily solitary. Does not maintain exclusive territory; forms dominance hierarchies. In southern Nevada, density ranged from 0.06/ha (late spring) to 0.35/ha (fall). In Utah, population density varies widely among years.

Reproduction

In southern Nevada, breeds February-June with February-March peak. In southern California, mating occurs mostly during first two weeks of March. Gestation lasts 30-35 days in Nevada and California. Litter size is 5-14 (average 8); probably one litter per year, possibly sometimes two in some areas (Burt and Grossenheider 1964). In southern California, young first appear on the surface in mid-May, 1-2 weeks before weaning at age 8 weeks (Kenagy and Bartholomew 1985).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferDesertPlaya/salt flat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoS4Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
New MexicoS4Yes
ArizonaS5Yes
Navajo NationS5Yes
OregonS4Yes
UtahS5Yes
ColoradoS4Yes
NevadaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (49)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
Burro CanyonKaibab National Forest19,928
California (19)
AreaForestAcres
Andrews Mtn.Inyo National Forest9,912
Birch CreekInyo National Forest28,816
Black CanyonInyo National Forest32,421
Boundary Peak (CA)Inyo National Forest210,884
Cactus Springs BSan Bernardino National Forest3,106
CalienteCleveland National Forest5,953
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
Granite PeakSan Bernardino National Forest450
Hixon FlatSan Bernardino National Forest8,095
HortonInyo National Forest5,717
PaiuteInyo National Forest58,712
Pleasant ViewAngeles National Forest26,395
ScodiesSequoia National Forest725
Soldier CanyonInyo National Forest40,589
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
Wheeler RidgeInyo National Forest15,744
Wild Horse Mtn. (CA)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest28,822
Wonoga Pk.Inyo National Forest11,272
WoolstaffSequoia National Forest41,445
Nevada (18)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Boundary Peak (NV)Inyo National Forest21,851
Chineese Camp (NV)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest15,207
Fish Lake CHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,538
Four MileHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest24,093
Lovell Summit SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest28,455
Moriah - Silver CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,582
Pine Grove NorthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest8,749
Pine Grove SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest88,945
PotosiHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,145
Snake - Big WashHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,146
Snake - ChokecherryHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest30,845
Snake - HatcheryHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,627
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
Table Mtn. - EastHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest87,789
Toiyabe RangeHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest99,225
West Silver CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,028
Wild Horse Mtn. (NV)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,399
Utah (11)
AreaForestAcres
Boulder Mtn. / Boulder Top / Deer LakeDixie National Forest110,690
Bull ValleyDixie National Forest10,911
Capital ReefDixie National Forest763
Casto BluffDixie National Forest87,466
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
FishhookDixie National Forest12,959
Long Neck Mesa / Steep Creek / Oak Creek - Steep Creek / OakDixie National Forest55,489
New Home BenchDixie National Forest10,513
Oak CreekFishlake National Forest54,053
Pine Valley MountainsDixie National Forest57,673
Wayne WonderlandFishlake National Forest12,395
References (17)
  1. Allred, D. M., and D. E. Beck. 1963a. Ecological distribution of some rodents at the Nevada atomic test site. Ecology. 44:211-214.
  2. Alvarez-Castaneda, S. T. 2007. Systematics of the antelope ground squirrel (<i>Ammospermophilus</i>) from islands adjacent to the Baja California peninsula. Journal of Mammalogy 88: 1160-1169.
  3. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2024. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). Online. Available: www.mammaldiversity.org
  4. Belk, M. C., and H. D. Smith. 1991. Ammospermophilus leucurus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 368:1-8.
  5. Bradley, W. G. 1967. Home range, activity patterns, and ecology of the antelope ground squirrel in southern Nevada. Southwestern Naturalist 12:231-252.
  6. Burt, W. H. and R. P. Grossenheider. 1964. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  7. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  8. Hawbecker, A. C. 1958. Survival and home range in the Nelson antelope ground squirrel. Journal of Mammalogy 39:207-215.
  9. Ingles, L. G. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
  10. Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.
  11. Karasov, W. H. 1981. Daily energy expenditure and the cost of activity in a free-living mammal. Oecologia 51:253-259.
  12. Kenagy, G. J., and G. A. Bartholomew. 1985. Seasonal reproductive patterns in five coexisting California desert rodent species. Ecolog. Monogr. 55:371-397.
  13. Larrison, E.J. and D.R. Johnson. 1981. Mammals of Idaho. The University of Idaho Press, Moscow.
  14. Mammalian Species, nos. 1-604. Published by the American Society of Mammalogists.
  15. Miller, A.H. and R.C. Stebbins. 1964. The lives of desert animals in Joshua Tree National Monument. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  16. Wiener, J. G., and M. H. Smith. 1972. Relative efficiencies of four small mammal traps. J. Mamm. 53:868-873.
  17. 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/.