Ammospermophilus leucurus
white-tailed antelope squirrel

White-tailed antelope squirrels are found in northwestern New Mexico, western Colorado, southeastern Oregon, northern Arizona, southwestern Idaho, Utah, southern Nevada, southern California, and as far south as the southern Baja California peninsula. Of all Ammospermophilus, white-tailed antelope squirrels are the most widespread in North America; their general range is the Great Basin to Baja California.

(Belk and Smith, 1991; Tomich, 1982)

White-tailed antelope squirrels live in deserts and foothills. These areas are sandy, gravelly or rocky, provided the soil can be burrowed in to escape from extreme heat and predators. Ammospermophilus leucurus will use burrows of other rodents, such as kangaroo rats, for shelter and will make numerous burrows of its own within its home range. Common habitats include desert succulent shrub, riparian, and wash areas. Ammospermophilus leucurus also occurs in chaparral and grassland.

(Johnson and Harris, 2001; Belk and Smith, 1991)

Ammospermophilus leucurus appear quite similar to other antelope ground squirrels. They have slightly longer legs and small, rounded ears. White-tailed antelope squirrels are whitish on their ventral surface. Their backs are brown to gray in color with two white stripes from the shoulder to the hind end. The outer surfaces of all legs are somewhat more reddish in color. The underside of their tails are pure white and they have a subterminal black band on the tail.

They range in total length from 188 to 239 mm and in tail length from 42 to 87 mm. They weigh from 96 to 117 grams.

The hair of the tail molts in the fall and the rest of the hair molts once in spring and then again in fall. White-tailed antelope squirrels have cheek pouches that they can carry food in. They also have ten mammae, slightly more than other ground squirrels, which typically have four to seven.

(Nowak, 1999; Belk and Smith, 1991; Tomich, 1982)

Average lifespan is not known, but one white-tailed antelope squirrel lived five years and ten months in captivity. The average lifespan for other members of this genus is typically one year.

(Nowak, 1999)

White-tailed antelope squirrels are diurnal and active throughout the year. In order to stay cool, A. leucurus are most active in the morning and late afternoon and are not active during the hottest part of the day. When they forage, they will stop in the shade in order to avoid heat from the sun. They will also lay flat in a burrow with their stomach against the cooler ground to cool off. Most of the year they live alone in burrows, females occupy burrows with their young of the year. In the winter, several individuals will live together in a burrow and huddle together at night in order to conserve heat. Ammospermophilus leucurus form dominance heirarchies when they encounter other individuals, but there is no evidence of territoriality. Home ranges are usually about six hectares.

(Johnson and Harris, 2001; Nowak, 1999; Belk and Smith, 1991; Tomich, 1982)

During the year, different food sources make up the bulk of the diet. During the spring, greens are widely available, so they consitute the bulk of the diet, or approximately 60%. In the fall, when greens are not readily available, they only comprise about 20% of the diet. Seeds and fruits are the most important food source in the fall, making up about 60% of the diet, and are not as important in the spring, making up about 20% of the diet. Invertebrates, mainly insects, make up the rest of their diet during the year. Compared to other antelope squirrels, A. leucurus was found to be more carnivorous. The use of efficient kidneys keeps water loss low, but they must have some succulent plants or free water in their diet in order to survive. Foraging by A. leucurus occurs in trees and shrubs or on the ground. White-tailed antelope squirrels have cheek pouches in which they can store food until they return to their burrows, where they will hoard the food, or put it into a cache, as do other squirrels.

Common foods eaten include: seeds, green vegetation, including grasses, mesquite, acacia, yucca, ephedra Mormon tea, Joshua tree, evening primrose, storksbill, blackbrush and opuntia cactus, fruits, invertebrates, carrion.

(Johnson and Harris, 2001; Belk and Smith, 1991; Tomich, 1982)

These animals are eaten primarily by diurnal, desert-dwelling predators, some of which are listed here.

They animals tend to run away from predators instead of seeking shelter. When they are running away, they very seldom look back. This species has slightly longer feet than other antelope squirrel species, which enable them to run faster. They can also escape into their burrow if there is an opening nearby. (Johnson and Harris, 2001; Belk and Smith, 1991)

White-tailed antelope squirrels store seeds in food caches, possibly resulting in the dispersal and germination of seeds.

(Belk and Smith, 1991)

White-tailed antelope squirrels can become bothersome to farmers. This rarely happens because A. leucurus lives in deserts where there are very few farms. However, in some areas they occasionally cause trouble by burrowing on farmland and eating crops.

(Nowak, 1999)

White-tailed antelope squirrels make good research subjects because they can be easily studied.

(Nowak, 1999)

These animals are abundant in suitable habitat throughout their range.

There are nine subspecies of A. leucurus in the United States.

(Tomich, 1982)