Here are four pictures of mammals I’ve collected over the past couple of weeks, so why not start this week with something furry?
One of the juvenile squirrels whose birth I facilitated by leaving the parents nuts. He/she is still small, but growing rapidly on a diet of nuts and seeds that I leave on my office windowsill. This one hasn’t yet learned to carry more than one peanut in its mouth at a time, but it’s trying. . .
A ground squirrel in Snowbird Utah, photographed at the Evolution meetings. These were brazen little rodents, who would come right up to you for food. They were especially fond of taco chips at the local Mexican restaurant. I think it’s a Spermophilus, but I’m sure some reader can identify this common species.
A fine looking rabbit seen on my walk to work:
Rabbit, run!
Whenever my wife asks me to buy peanuts for our squirrels, I refer to the peanuts as “squirrel larvae.”
It’s a christian damned god travesty when I’m prayering for Jerry in Chicago when I should be prayering for Jerry in mor[m]onville. Plus the Chicago squirrel’s hands look a lot more like primate hands than the mor[m]on squirrel’s hands do. They both eat human food but, apparently, the mor[m]ons don’t allow their squirrels to “believe” in evolution.
Plus, Spermophilus is a good name for a mor[m]on squirrel.
I love ground squirrels! I once went to the Badlands of Alberta and they would come up to you and gently scratch your feet to ask for food. I think they are so cute!
I often see ground hogs (which I think are related) on the drive to work even in cities. I even saw one at a zoo in an outside enclosure with wallabies. He looked at everyone like all the visitors were there to see him and not the wallabies!
Many many moons ago I lived in a private dorm while going to school. This cafeteria was famous far & wide for the excellent quality, and quantity, of food it produced. Squirrels would congregate throughout the covered walkway near the entrance and wait for handouts. They were so acclimated to people that often they would climb up you pant leg and dig in your jeans pocket looking for food if you were too slow to give them something.
I have always remembered that place fondly for the food and the squirrels, which always put a smile on my face.
Aww! Squirrels in general can be quite gregarious it seems. Once while camping up in the Mt. Shasta area, I was laying outside reading a book when something alighted on my back…it was a squirrel…just chilling…cleaning its face while perched on my back lol. That whole campground was like a Walt Disney movie, birds landing right next to us, baby trout nibbling our toes in the river, deer walking right through the campsite, and of course Mr. Squirrel. A bad storm came that night and lightning hit a tree about 10 yards from us, the tree exploded and what was left fell over on a tent (thankfully unoccupied at that moment). It was quite startling….I see I’ve quite digressed here…
Thanks for the Monday morning furry cuteness smile.
I think it’s a Thompson Ground Squirrel. In Idaho we call them whistle pigs — they whistle to warn others (presumably kin), like marmots do. This sometimes results in fatalities by dogs, including mine. Evolution in action.
“Whistle Pigs” – great name for a band.
Aren’t God’s creatures all amazing?
Now you’re being naughty. Can’t tell if you mean it or not, but either way, naughty.
I was playing sarcastaball!
I asked about a dozen people at the Evolution meeting what kind of ground squirrels they were — it was surprisingly hard to find someone who knew! I am now convinced they are Uinta ground squirrels, Spermophilus armatus. Did you also see the marmots frolicking on the lawn between the Cliff Lodge and Snowbird Center? The marmots (genus Marmota) are more like ground hogs or woodchucks, by the way.
I think you’re right about the Unita ground squirrel. Nice photo, Jerry.
+1
Photo captures everything that’s endearing about squirrels.
Definitely a Uinta ground squirrel, though the scientific name has recently been changed to Urocitellus armatus. Marlene, if you remember Jim Rieger from grad school, he worked on life history strategies in this species for his dissertation.
Enjoyed feeding the birds and squirrels in my backyard until the rat showed up looking for his.Now can’t feed any, the squirrels are so cute.
Tree rats; that’s what my mother-in-law called the grey squirrels in Ontario. Probably the same species as in photo number one.