BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Urocitellus parryii
Arctic Ground Squirrel
| Scientific Name: | Urocitellus parryii (Richardson, 1825) | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Spermophilus parryii
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| English Name: | Arctic Ground Squirrel | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | March 2012 - name changed from Spermophilus parryii to Urocitellus parryii to align with NatureServe (DDW). | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-URPA | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S4S5 (Feb 2015) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Mates in May soon after emerging from hibernation. Litter of 5-10 young is born in late June, weaned at 20 days (Whitaker 1980). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: |
In Yukon Territory, dispersal distances of juveniles were as follows: females, mean 120 m, median 61 m, n = 101; males, mean 515 m, median 241 m, n = 49 (Byrom and Krebs 1999). Activity reduces lichen cover, whereas monocots and dicots increase (Mallory and Heffernan 1987). Predators include ermine, wolves, arctic fox, grizzly bear, and humans. |
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| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Tundra, subalpine brushy meadows, roadsides, riverbanks, lakeshores, sandbanks; not in permafrost areas. Well-drained habitats often associated with sand dunes or eskers. Digs extensive buroow system that may be used for many years; most tunnels are not more than 3 feet deep, with several entrances. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Frugivore: Adult, Immature
Granivore: Adult, Immature Herbivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Eats stems and leaves, seeds, fruits, and roots of grasses, sedges, and other green plants, as well as woody plants and mushrooms. Stores food (seeds, willow leaves, bog rush fruit) in burrow for consumption in spring. Sometimes preys on collared lemmings and young snowshoe hares (O'Donoghue and Stuart 1993). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Hibernates September to April or May; adults enter hibernation first, then juveniles. Males emerge first, through snow. Active from about 0400-2130 hours. Inactive during cloudy or rainy weather (Whitaker 1980). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 40/ / 791 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Alaska, Yukon, mainland Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Dec 08, 1993 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Byrom, A. E., and C. J. Krebs. 1999. Natal dispersal of juvenile arctic ground squirrels in the boreal forest. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1048-1059. |
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Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23. |
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Mallory, F. F., and T. D. Heffernan. 1987. Floristic modification of low arctic tundra by the Arctic ground squirrel. Canadian Field-Nat. 101:388-391. |
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Murie, J. O., and G. R. Michener, editors. 1984. The biology of ground-dwelling squirrels: annual cycles, behavioral ecology and sociality. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln. xvi + 459 pp. |
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Nagorsen, D. W. 2005b. The rodents and lagomorphs of British Columbia. Royal B.C. Mus. Handb., Victoria, BC. 410pp. |
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O'Donoghue, M., and S. Stuart. 1993. Hare-raising encounters. Natural History 2/93, pp. 26-33. |
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Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 745 pp. |
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Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1993. Species Summary: Urocitellus parryii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed May 8, 2025).