White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel

The White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) is gray with a narrow white stripe along each side.  The underside of its tail is white and is carried over its back.  One of the few small mammals to be active in the heat of the day, this animal is superbly adapted for desert life: 

• It is omnivorous(feeding on both plants & animals) and prefers water-filled plants and insects.
• It tolerates a nine-degree fluction (100-109 degrees F) in body temperature as it moves in and out of the sun.
• It can salivate heavily and spread mositure over its neck and cheeks for evaporative cooling effect.
• It can lose heat by conduction when it retires to the shade or is burrow and flattens itself against the ground.
• It will postion itself parallel to the Sun’s rays and shade its body with its tail.

Editors note:  These guys in urban areas can become real pests digging up golf course greens and of course your lawn at home.