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Arctic ground squirrel

Urocitellus parryii · Squirrels · Small game

Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii): Largest ground squirrel: 524-1,500 g depending on sex and season. Tawny or cinnamon back flecked with white spots; lighter buff underparts. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the arctic ground squirrel map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Arctic ground squirrel — verified North Ground species photograph
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Scientific name
Urocitellus parryii
Family
Sciuridae
In North America
Native
Range
Alaska, Yukon, mainland Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia; ADW gives the west coast of Hudson Bay to western Alaska.
Biology

How to identify it

Largest ground squirrel: 524-1,500 g depending on sex and season. [1][2]

Tawny or cinnamon back flecked with white spots; lighter buff underparts. [1][2]

Tail matches the back at the base and darkens toward the tip. [1][2]

Cylindrical body, short strong forelimbs with sharp claws; cheek pouches. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Tundra, subalpine brushy meadows, boreal forest and alpine meadows; well-drained sandy sites, often near dunes or eskers; not in permafrost areas. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Diurnal, colonial and territorial; hibernates September to April or May, adults first [1][2]

Active from about 0400 to 2130 h; inactive in cloudy or rainy weather [1][2]

Whistle for aerial predators and guttural chatter for ground predators [1][2]

Eats stems, leaves, seeds, fruit and roots; sometimes lemmings, young hares and bird eggs; stores food in burrow [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Alaska, Yukon, mainland Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia; ADW gives the west coast of Hudson Bay to western Alaska.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology