Endangered Animals in North America

These adorable little squirres are listed as endangered because they are only found in the central and wester San Joaquin Valley and neighboring areas of Cuyama Valley, Panoche Valley, Carrizo Plain, and the Elkhorn Plains. Their habitat is on the decline and their population numbers are decreasing by less than 30% over the last ten years.

Their Habitat consists of dry flat or rolling terrain, and they live on grassy, sparsely shrubby ground (shrubs include saltbush, ephedra, bladder pod, goldenbush, and snakeweed.

These squirrels seldom dig their own burrows; most often they use burrows made by other small mammals under shrubs, in banks of the arroyos, at the bottom of alluvial fans.

Breeding season is in the spring, they give birth in March after a gestation period of 26 days and usually the babies are not seen until around April when they begin their first adventures above ground to find food. The only breed once a year, and have litters of from six to twelve babies, averaging nine. Their lifespan ranges from less than a year to five or more years. The average is less than a year.

They eat bugs, green vegetation and forb seeds.

Their decline is a result of loss of habitat due to agricultural and urban development as well as oil and gas exploration practices. Primary existing threats include loss of habitat due to agricultural development, urbanization, and petroleum extraction, and the use of rodenticides for ground squirrel control. Overgrazing and associated loss of shrub cover is a concern in some areas. These threats will be alleviated by the implementation of the San Joaquin Endangered Species Recovery Plan.