Description wikipedia

The Wyoming ground squirrel (Urocitellus elegans) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the mountain west of the United States. The Wyoming ground squirrel is a moderately sized ground squirrel with adults ranging from 25.3 centimetres (10.0 in) to 30.7 centimetres (12.1 in). It is a big-eared Urocitellus species with a relatively long tail. Its upperparts are light drab, with specks of pink, clay, or cinnamon. The tail is edged with light buff or white and its underside is clay-colored or light brown. In Montana, western Wyoming, and extreme northeastern Utah the Wyoming ground squirrel co-occurs with the Uinta ground squirrel. The Wyoming ground squirrel can be distinguished by the buff underside of its tail, which is gray in the Uinta. In this zone of sympatry the Wyoming ground squirrel displays character displacement and these populations are smaller and paler. The Wyoming ground squirrel occurs in three disjunctive populations, each representing a different subspecies. U. e. aureus is found in southwestern Montana and adjacent Idaho where it occurs in valley bottoms and foothills. Throughout its range, higher elevation montane meadows are occupied by the Uinta ground squirrel, limiting the elevational range of this subspecies. U. e. elegans occurs from southern Wyoming to south-central Colorado. It reaches as far west as extreme northeastern Utah and as far east as extreme western Nebraska. It may be found in a wide range of open habitats between 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and tree line, including sagebrush plains, grasslands, and montane meadows. In forests, it requires openings of only a few acres to establish. Since the early 20th century, the Wyoming ground squirrel has undergone significant southward range expansion in Colorado due to a lack of natural barriers, favorable vegetation, an absence of competitors, and a willingness to use burrows constructed by other species. Anthropogenic modifications to its ecosystems, including livestock grazing and prairie dog poisoning, may have further facilitated its expansion. U. e. nevadensis occurs in the Great Basin and can be found in north-central Nevada. Historically, its range included southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, but it may now be extirpated from those states.