Alashan ground squirrel

The Alashan ground squirrel (Spermophilus alashanicus) is a species of squirrel. It is native to China and Mongolia.^[1]

Alashan ground squirrel
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Spermophilus
Species:	S. alashanicus
Binomial name
Spermophilus alashanicus (Büchner, 1888)

This squirrel lives at elevations up to 3200 meters. It lives on the steppe and in foothills and alpine meadows. In China it can be found in desert habitat. It is associated with the plant species Amygdalus pedunculata and A. polyrrhizum.^[1]

This species is 22 to 23 centimetres (8.7 to 9.1 in) long. It is brown or gray with a pale underside. In the summer it develops a chestnut wash along the shoulders. Most babies are born in June, with litter sizes ranging from one to nine.^[1]