California Ground Squirrel

Quick Facts:

• California ground squirrels are not just found in California. In fact, they are found across most of the West Coast of the USA.
• One surprising snack that ground squirrels enjoy is bird eggs.
• Vacant ground squirrel burrows are used by other animals like snakes and rodents.

These young ground squirrels are probably out looking for food. Ground squirrels eat mostly plants: roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, berries, seeds, and acorns. They also eat beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars. They use their cheek pouches to carry food to store in their burrows. Several squirrels may share a honeycomb of tunnels, but each has its own entrance. If you walk past, you may hear their alarm call: a repeated high-pitched “clink.” They are easily alarmed since so many animals eat them: hawks, raccoons, foxes, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, and snakes. Rattlesnakes prey on newborns, but adult ground squirrels are partially immune to rattlesnake venom, and mothers defend their babies, even throwing dirt at the snakes.