California Ground Squirrel

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California Ground Squirrel
Text by Dr. Paisley Cato
Photo by Dr. Brad Hollingsworth
San Diego Natural History Museum

Range and Habitat
This ground squirrel is found in many plant communities in all the life zones from the coast into the mountains, from southern California to central Washington. There are nine ground squirrels native to California.

Diet: These common ground squirrels eat a broad range of seeds, berries and leaves of grasses, forbs, and wood plants. They also eat bulbs, tubers, insects and road-killed carrion. They have internal cheek pouches that they use for transporting food to their burrows.

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