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Home/Species/ Douglas's Ground Squirrel

Otospermophilus douglasii

(Richardson, 1829)

Douglas's Ground Squirrel

GNRUnranked Found in 41 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1342216
Element CodeAMAFB051B0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusOtospermophilus
Synonyms
Otospermophilus beecheyi douglassii(Richardson, 1829)
Concept Reference
Phuong, M. A., M. C. Lim, D. R. Wait, K. C. Rowe, and C. Moritz. 2014. Delimiting species in the genus Otospermophilus (Rodentia: Sciuridae), using genetics, ecology, and morphology. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 113(4):1136-1151.
Taxonomic Comments
Phuong et al. (2014) elevate the northern lineage of O. beecheyi to a separate species, Otospermophilus douglasii.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Found in a wide variety of habitats. Usually in open areas in many plant communities in all life zones up to the Hudsonian. Sleeps and rears young in underground burrow. Digs deep burrow usually under protective object (log, rock, building, bush) if available, or in open.

Ecology

Usually in loose colonies. About 1/3 to 3/4 of a population consists of yearlings (see Boellstorff and Owings 1995). May carry fleas that transmit sylvatic plague. Predators include dogs, coyotes, and large hawks. Home range usually is less than 50 m across (Burt and Grossenheider 1964). In west-central California, mean home range size was 300-400 sq m in males, 600-900 sq m in females; home ranges overlapped (Boellstorff and Owings 1995).

Reproduction

Breeding occurs soon after hibernation. Gestation lasts 25-30 days. Litter size averages about 6-7. In the lowlands, females usually produce one litter per year. The young are born hairless and their eyes are closed; they remain underground for about 8 weeks. In central Calfornia, young began to emerge from burrows in late April or early May (Boellstorff and Owings 1995).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
WashingtonS4Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
OregonS5Yes
Roadless Areas (41)
California (28)
AreaForestAcres
BackboneShasta-Trinity National Forest11,466
Black ButteMendocino National Forest15,461
Callahan FlowModoc National Forest6,618
Castle Crags AShasta-Trinity National Forest113
Castle Crags BShasta-Trinity National Forest1,619
ChanchelullaShasta-Trinity National Forest3,915
Cow CreekSix Rivers National Forest1,271
Dobie FlatModoc National Forest15,079
EagleShasta-Trinity National Forest6,553
East GirardShasta-Trinity National Forest27,894
Elk CreekMendocino National Forest23,182
GrindstoneMendocino National Forest26,031
LavasModoc National Forest25,864
Little French CShasta-Trinity National Forest11,529
Mt. EddyShasta-Trinity National Forest7,232
Mt. HoffmanModoc National Forest9,780
Mt. Shasta BShasta-Trinity National Forest2,809
Pilot CreekSix Rivers National Forest9,192
Reister CanyonMendocino National Forest5,897
RussianKlamath National Forest21,771
Salt GulchShasta-Trinity National Forest6,511
Skeleton GladeMendocino National Forest9,237
Snow MountainMendocino National Forest14,457
SoldierModoc National Forest10,102
South ForkShasta-Trinity National Forest16,786
Timbered CraterLassen National Forest4,096
Ukonom CreekKlamath National Forest4,621
West GirardShasta-Trinity National Forest37,516
Oregon (10)
AreaForestAcres
DoneganUmpqua National Forest5,914
EagleMt. Hood National Forest16,841
LarchMt. Hood National Forest12,961
North KalmiopsisSiskiyou National Forests91,560
Shasta CostaSiskiyou National Forests14,420
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
South KalmiopsisSiskiyou National Forests104,477
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
Washington (3)
AreaForestAcres
Blue SlideWenatchee National Forest17,505
Devils GulchWenatchee National Forest24,419
TaneumWenatchee National Forest26,140
References (11)
  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. Boellstorff, D. E., and D. H. Owings. 1995. Home range, population structure, and spatial organization of California ground squirrels. Journal of Mammalogy 76:551-561.
  3. Burt, W. H. and R. P. Grossenheider. 1964. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  4. Dalquest. W. W. 1948. Mammals of Washington. University of Kansas Museum Natural History Publ. 2:1-444.
  5. Dobson, F. S., and D. E. Davis. 1986. Hibernation and sociality in the California ground squirrel. J. Mamm. 67: 416-421.
  6. Long, D. J., and J. E. Smith. 2023. Otospermophilus douglasii (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Mammalian Species 55(1034):sead010.
  7. Maser, C., B. R. Mate, J. F. Franklin, and C. T. Dyrness. 1981. Natural history of Oregon coast mammals. Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Expt. Sta., USDA, Forest Service, Gen Tech. Rep. PNW-133:1-496.
  8. Miller, A.H. and R.C. Stebbins. 1964. The lives of desert animals in Joshua Tree National Monument. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  9. 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.
  10. Phuong, M. A., K. Bi, and C. Moritz. 2017. Range instability leads to cytonuclear discordance in a morphologically cryptic ground squirrel species complex. Molecular Ecology 26(18):4743-4755.
  11. Phuong, M. A., M. C. Lim, D. R. Wait, K. C. Rowe, and C. Moritz. 2014. Delimiting species in the genus <i>Otospermophilus </i>(Rodentia: Sciuridae), using genetics, ecology, and morphology. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 113(4):1136-1151.