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Richardson's ground squirrel

Urocitellus richardsonii · Squirrels · Small game

Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii): Stout body with short dense fur. Dorsum light pinkish or cinnamon buff with a dappled rear; countershaded lighter belly. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the richardson's ground squirrel map

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

Scientific name
Urocitellus richardsonii
Family
Sciuridae
In North America
Native
Range
Northern Great Plains: southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Montana, North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota, western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.
Biology

How to identify it

Stout body with short dense fur. [1][2]

Dorsum light pinkish or cinnamon buff with a dappled rear; countershaded lighter belly. [1][2]

Darker cinnamon buff on front of forelegs, neck and sides of head; light buff eye ring. [1][2]

Tail black above, cinnamon or clay below, edged pinkish buff. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Grasslands, rolling hills, fields and croplands; prefers gravelly or sandy soil and short grass around burrow entrances. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Hibernates, entering late August-October and emerging by late March or April [1][2]

Activity peaks about 2 h after dawn, 10 am-2 pm and 4 pm to sunset; stays in the burrow in extreme heat or rain [1][2]

Multi-syllable alarm calls vary with predator type [1][2]

Eats herbaceous plants in spring, seeds and fruit in late summer and fall; stores seeds in burrows; loose colonies [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

Northern Great Plains: southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Montana, North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota, western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.

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