Characteristics
 The golden-mantled ground squirrel is a small chipmunk-like squirrel with grayish-brown fur on top with two white stripes bordered by black stripes on its sides. It has a lighter underside. Its head, face, front paws and chest are a coppery red.
Range
 The golden-mantled ground squirrel can be found in southeastern British Columbia in Canada south to New Mexico and Southern California.
Habitat
 The golden-mantled ground squirrel can be found in coniferous and mixed coniferous-hardwood forests. It is common in mountainous areas up to the timberline. It can be found in places with rocky meadows and in sagebrush areas.
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Diet
 The golden-mantled ground squirrel eats seeds, nuts and fruits. A large part of its diet is made up of piñon nuts. It also eats green plants, some insects and underground fungi. In the fall, the golden-mantled ground squirrel puts on a layer of fat. It hibernates from October to May. It has cheek pouches that it uses to carry food. It takes food to its den and stores it to eat in the spring when it wakes up. It also may wake up a couple of times during hibernation and eat the stored food. It makes its den near or under a tree or log. Its den isn't dug very deep, but it can stretch as long as 100 feet.
Life Cycle
 Mating season is in the spring when the squirrels come out of hibernation. The males emerge first and will compete with each other to establish a territory. Females come out of hibernation two to three weeks after the males. The female builds a nest of leaves, grass and bark in an underground burrow. A month after mating, she will have a litter of between four to six babies.
The babies are born with their eyes and ears closed and they are hairless except for tiny whiskers and fur on their heads. In about a week their
fur will come in. The female cares for the babies. They will wean when they are about a month old.
Behavior
 The golden-mantled ground squirrel cleans itself by rolling in the dirt and combing its fur with its teeth and claws.
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