Long-tailed ground squirrel: description

Long-tailed ground squirrels are daytime animals, their activity peak begins after sunrise and lasts until noon. When building burrows, they throw a large amount of land onto the surface . This process influences the composition of vegetation, it significantly changes where gophers settle.

Appearance

The long-tailed ground squirrel, the description of which is given below, belongs to the genus of gophers and is a rodent. In this type of ground squirrels, the ears on the head are barely noticeable. It is a fairly large animal with a body length of about 32 cm and a weight of 300 to 500 g. From other species it is distinguished by having a fluffy tail longer than 15 cm. In the upper part it is brownish, and at the very tips of the villi is black. The long tail helps the ground squirrel to balance on steep turns. This is a very moving animal. It can easily jump over small stones, bushes and hollows.

Color of the back - chestnut-buff with light specks, and sides and shoulders of a red color. The belly is bright rusty-yellow in color. At animals of young age the monophonic gray fur with hardly appreciable stains. In the winter it becomes more fluffy and dense. Summer changes the fur coat to winter in August, and in April - on the contrary.

Long-tailed ground squirrel: Species

There are several species of rodents:

1. Altai has a body length from 21 to 26 cm. In summer, the fur of this animal has the most intense dark color with red patches.
2. Mongolian. Summer fur is dull and pale.
3. Zabaikalsky has the coloration of a gopher of Altai, but less intensive coloring.
4. The East Transbaikalian ground squirrel is larger than the previous species. Color of pale color.
5. The Yakutian reaches a length of 30 cm. The color of the body is dull and pale.
6. Far Eastern has a body up to 33 cm long, has a shorter tail. The color is even paler than that of the Yakut species.
7. Kolymsky is a very large animal, its body length reaches 45 cm. The color on the head is pale yellow with a reddish tint.
8. Kamchatka ground squirrel is similar to Kolyma, but has a more dim color.
9. Verkhoyansky is also similar to the Kolyma. It differs only in the presence of dirty-red tones in the color.

Where does the long-tailed ground squirrel live?

Where do these animals live? They occupy a rather large area. They inhabit North America and the whole territory of Eurasia, in the north they can be found on the coast of the Arctic Ocean.

Rodents live in the steppes, in forest-steppe and forest-tundra zones, but most often they can be found on open plots. They feel great both in the desert and high in the mountains. Animals prefer for housing to choose in the river valleys separate dry hills and islands. Comfortably feel on forest lawns and edges, which are covered with thick grass, in deciduous and pine forests. The long-tailed ground squirrel does not fear people, so it can live near crops or on the roadside.

Lifestyle

These animals live in colonies. For habitation gophers dig up long, sometimes up to 15 m, tunnels, the depth of which can reach up to one and a half meters. In one hole, no more than two individuals live. Housing gopher prefers to dig in a light sandy soil. It has up to three exits and a nest chamber, which is lined with grass and wool. In inclement weather, all gopher outlets are stopped with sand plugs. In the hole there are several branches that rodents use to store food reserves and as a restroom. In the case, which is located in the course going up, a rescue chamber is being made. Its long-tailed ground squirrel uses during the spring flood, escaping flooding.

Gophers can talk among themselves, clattering or making a squeak. They do this, tightly pressing their forelegs to their chests and standing on the back, that is, in a pose "post". Their loud squeak lasts a few minutes and is a bit like the singing of birds.

Gophers have enemies. The first place is occupied by birds of prey, ranging from hawks to eagles. Predatory mammals (wolves, foxes, wild cats) also do not mind eating these rodents.

Self-cleaning and rest

From time to time, gophers clean themselves, just like cats do. They lick the wool and gnaw the parasites. Front paws wash face and tail.

Sometimes the longtail lies on the ground, looks at the sun, pulling out its paws and experiencing bliss at the same time.

Life cycle

In winter time, the long-tailed gopher conducts in hibernation, which begins later than in the relatives of other species. Its duration depends on the temperature background and the magnitude of the snow cover.

He begins to hibernate from the end of September to the middle of October, and wakes up from March to April. The duration of hibernation in different regions averages 7-8 months. After it, at first males come out of the holes, and after two weeks - females. Young people appear in the last turn.

Reproduction

The long-tailed gopher breeds once a year. In the spring, as soon as the females leave the burrows, the mating of the animals begins. During this period, males have increased activity, they can leave their hole and leave it for a distance of up to two kilometers. At this time they visit many foreign homes. At the time of chasing males often fight using teeth and claws.

Pregnancy of the female lasts 30 days, 7-8 individuals are born. Almost at the age of one month the cubs start to get out of the hole and independently obtain their own food. At first, the young sticks to the mother and is at the burrow. After 2-3 weeks, young individuals begin to settle. To a sexual life they will be ready in a year, after the next winter hibernation.

Food

The long-tailed ground squirrel feeds mainly on vegetable food. In spring, when there is no ground part of the plants, it gnaws bulbs and roots, and then, with the appearance of grass, eats stems, shoots, buds and leaves. In the autumn, the seeds of cereal crops predominate in his diet.

Gophers love clover, sweet clover, beans. One of the treats is a dandelion. They gladly eat insects: locusts, various beetles and their larvae, moths. Sometimes chickens and small rodents go in for food.

For the winter, rodents make stocks of feed, the weight of which can exceed 6 kg. Food they collect in a cheek pouch, where more than 100 cereals are placed. And the seeds of different cultures they are placed in different places. All supplies are consumed in the spring after hibernation.

Benefit and harm

The long-tailed ground squirrel, whose photo is below, has a valuable fur. These animals have an even light pile with a mottled pattern. Skins of this rodent are used to make the top women's clothing.

Fishing catch is carried out by traps and loops, which are made from horsehair. In addition to skins, the fat of ground squirrels is also used, it finds its application in folk medicine, as well as for household and technical needs.

In the holes of animals there are always a lot of fleas and ticks that infect them with dangerous diseases. Thus, the long-tailed rodent is one of the main natural carriers of the causative agent of plague, brucellosis. In addition, these animals cause great damage to agriculture. Each gopher for the summer period can exterminate up to 10 kg of grain, spoil the pastures, arranging burrows.

Unusual facts

Scientists have found out that gophers fall into hibernation due to the development of a special substance - adenosine. If the production of this substance is blocked, the mechanism of hibernation in ground squirrels will be disrupted. Adenosine is also found in humans. Having studied the whole process of hibernating ground squirrels, scientists came to the conclusion that when controlling adenosine levels in humans there will be a chance to normalize the heart rhythm and blood flow. Such interesting rodents are these long-tailed ground squirrels.