Larger than a chipmunk, chestnut-gray on head and back. Distinguished
from chipmunks by having black and white strips on its sides (none
down the middle of the back) and by having a plain face with no
stripping. Not as nervous and quick as the chipmunk. Total length 11
inches. Formerly called Say's ground squirrel in this locality.
These trusting little fellows are the most commonly seen, photographed,
and fed animals in the Park, (including the rangers). Dozens of these
beautifully striped squirrels compete with chipmunks throughout the area
for visitor "hand-outs" of peanuts. If left to themselves (those that
haven't forgotten how) they feed largely on plant material and seeds.
There is a definite reason for this voracious engorging of food during
the summer, which is enjoyed by the marmots and richardson ground
squirrels as well. These animals are exemplary of the "true" hibernators
of the animal kingdom. They go into burrows below frost line for a long
winter period, curling up into tight little balls, and drop off into a
death-like, torpid sleep from which they are aroused with some
difficulty. Their temperature may drop from around ninety degrees F. to
only forty; their heartbeat may reduce from approximately two hundred
beats per minute to four or five; their oxygen consumption is less than
ten per cent of the amount used in active condition. They utilize part
of their stored-up summer fat for the little energy needed to keep
alive. When the warm days of spring arrive, they dig their way out of
the ground and search again for food and the customary "handouts."