Richardson's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii), or the Flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Spermophilus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called "Dak Rats" or "gophers", though this name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae.
It was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson. The Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta, Canada, has a large sele...
more
Richardson's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii), or the Flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Spermophilus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called "Dak Rats" or "gophers", though this name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae.
It was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson. The Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta, Canada, has a large selection of stuffed ground squirrels of many varieties and colors. North Dakota is nicknamed after the squirrel: The Flickertail State.
Native to the short grass prairies, Richardson's ground squirrel is found mainly in the northern states of the United States, such as North Dakota, and in southern Canada, such as southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan. The range of this animal expanded as forests were cleared to create farm land. They are not simply restricted to prairie; sometimes adapting to suburban environments, causing them to be seen...
less