mammal · GBIF taxon 7946545
Franklin's Ground Squirrel
Poliocitellus frankliniiAlso known as Franklin's Squirrel, Grey Ground Squirrel, Whistling Ground Squirrel
These elusive rodents spend the spring and summer months foraging through tallgrass prairies and forest edges, whistling sharp, musical alarms when startled. Unlike many of their open-country relatives, they prefer dense, tall vegetation where they can easily slip away into deep underground burrows. By late summer, they retreat underground to begin an exceptionally long hibernation that lasts up to eight months of the year.
BurrowingDiurnalGrassland
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- diet
- Omnivorous (seeds, insects, vegetation, and small vertebrates)
- family
- Sciuridae
- threats
- Habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and loss of tallgrass prairie
- life Span
- 4 to 6 years
LC
Can deliver a painful bite if cornered or handled; observe quietly from a distance.
- Listen for Whistles: Listen for their clear, bird-like whistling calls, which they use to warn others of danger.
- Scan Tall Grass: Look along the edges of undisturbed prairies, railway corridors, and old fields where vegetation is thick.
- Keep Distance: Avoid approaching active burrow entrances to prevent stressing these increasingly rare rodents.