310 Spermophilus pygmaeuswell as underground stems, roots, and bulbs. Raptors and
foxes appear to be their major predators. Their high-pitched
alarm calls are modestly complex. Little ground squirrels
are known to feed heavily on pasture grasses and vegetable
crops, and individuals are shot and poisoned to remove lo-
calized damage.
general references: Gladkina and Skalinov 1987;
Nikol’skii 2007a; Ognev 1963.
Spermophilus ralli (Kuznetsov, 1948)
Tien Shan Ground Squirrel
description: Tien Shan ground squirrels have a grayish
brown to grayish yellow dorsum. The sides are lighter in
color, grading to a straw gray venter. The faint spots on the
dorsum are often hard to detect. The tail is yellow to light
rust, with a dark brown to black band and a white to yel-
low tip.size: Sex not stated—HB 200–240 mm; T 60–75 mm; Mass
290–405 g.distribution: This species is endemic to the eastern Tien
Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and China.geographic variation: None.conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—no information.habitat: Tien Shan ground squirrels inhabit meadows
with in their restricted range.natural history: This species is diurnal. Tien Shan
ground squirrels hibernate within burrows from late sum-
mer (August–September) until late winter (February–March).
Mating occurs after emergence in later winter or spring. A
litter of three to seven is born in the burrow after a gestation
of 25–27 days. S. ralli forages on grasses, forbs, and insects.
Many burrow openings are clustered together, with a hiber-
nation chamber 1–2 m belowground. These animals may be
seen calling at the burrow entrance; their call is a quiet
“squeak.” Tien Shan ground squirrels are harvested for food.
Long considered a subspecies of S. relictus, recent genetic evi-
dence caused S. ralli to be elevated to a species instead.general references: R. G. Harrison et al. 2003; Ognev
1963; A. T. Smith and Xie 2008.Spermophilus relictus (Kashkarov, 1923)
Relict Ground Squirreldescription: Relict ground squirrels have a dorsum that is
a mix of gray, cinnamon, and straw yellow, with indistinct
speckles. The head is slightly paler, a gray suff used with
straw. The sides and the venter are light gray to straw yel-
low. The tail is cinnamon grayish yellow at the base and
darkens near the tip to a grizzled dorsal appearance, with
the underside more cinnamon to rust; the tail is frosted
with white to cream.size: Both sexes—HB 242 mm (230–270 mm); T 69.8 mm
(58–76 mm).Spermophilus pygmaeus. Photo courtesy Sergey Levykin and
Grigoriy Kazachkov.