Townsend's ground squirrel

Townsend's ground squirrel (Urocitellus townsendii) is a rare species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Washington in the United States.^[1]

Townsend's ground squirrel
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Urocitellus
Species:	U. townsendii
Binomial name
Urocitellus townsendii (Bachman, 1839)
Synonyms
Spermophilus townsendii Bachman, 1839

Distribution and habitat

Townsend's ground squirrel is found only in Washington in the United States. It occurs in the Yakima River Valley, west of the Yakima River, and in the Horse Heaven Hills to the south.^[1][2]

Less than 10% of the native habitat of the Townsend's ground squirrel remains. Its native habitat was shrubsteppe, grasslands, and sagebrush at the edges of forest.^[3] It now also occurs in habitats modified by humans, such as orchards, pastures, and abandoned fields.^[4]

Conservation

Colonies of Townsend's ground squirrel are fragmented and isolated.^[1] In 2022, the Bureau of Land Management had 16 unique records of occurrence.^[4] In 2012, there were 8 colonies recorded for the Hanford Reach National Monument.^[4][5][6] As of 2024^[update], there are 29 research grade observations in iNaturalist.^[7]