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Submitted by Ann McDermott
Often mistaken for a chipmunk,
Harris’ Antelope Squirrel is a common resident of rocky, open desert.
Its territorial call is a trill often delivered from a perch in a
cholla cactus and sounds something like a locust in full chorus.
Chipmunks don’t live in the desert, so their ranges do not overlap.
Description: Active year round and diurnal, Harris’ antelope squirrel has a white stripe on its side, is white below, and brown above and on its sides. It carries its bushy black tail arched over its back. It weighs around six ounces and measures about eight inches long. Habitat: This squirrel loves heat. It is active during the hottest parts of the day in summer, only occasionally hiding underground in its burrow. It’s inclined to sprawl on cool patios or damp tree wells as a means of cooling itself, plopping spread eagle until disturbed. In the winter, only the coldest weather keeps it temporarily underground. As the day warms, it becomes active again. It’s the only one of the desert ground squirrels that remains active in all seasons. It’s range is the deserts of southern Arizona and northwestern Sonora. A white-tailed relative lives in northern Arizona on high plateau desert areas. . Diet: Foods include new growth in spring mesquites, but mostly seeds and cactus fruits. They collect paloverde and mesquite seeds in their cheeks to distribute in shallow holes they dig with their front paws, a feast for later. They sometimes eat meat in the form of smaller rodents. Predators: These are numerous. Coyotes dig up their burrows; Gila monsters hunt their nests; roadrunners predate their young and raptors take as many as they can get. Ground squirrels are a major food source for meat-eating desert animals. Breeding: Between five to nine young are birthed in February or March each year. |
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