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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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Grasshoppers
- Wild Seeds
- Bird Eggs
Predators
- American Badger
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red Fox
ThreatsHabitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and loss of tallgrass prairie
HabitatsTallgrass prairies, oak savannas, and dense grassy railway rights-of-way
Life span4 to 6 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilySciuridae
- SpeciesPoliocitellus franklinii
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Can deliver a painful bite if cornered or handled; observe quietly from a distance.
Responsible observation
- 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.
Predator Yathin S Krishnappa / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Predator Buteo_jamaicensis_1.jpg: Alan Vernon derivative work: Berichard (talk) / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Co-occurring Relative (c) Thomas Koffel, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) D. Sikes, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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