312 Spermophilus suslicusthey can be faint in some forms. The head has small spots;
the chin and the eye rings are white to buff. There is a chest-
nut brown spot below each eye. The chest and front legs are
cinnamon to ochre, with the venter being a lighter shade.
The tail is grizzled dark brown to black near the base, some-
times suff used with reddish; the underside is paler. The tail
is frosted with white to straw yellow at the tip.
size: Both sexes—HB 180–260 mm; T 36–57 mm; Mass 180–
220 g.
distribution: This species is found on the steppes of east-
ern and southern Europe, including Poland, Ukraine, Rus-
sia north to the Oka River and east to the Volga River, and
Moldova. There is also an isolated population in western
Belarus.
geographic variation: Three subspecies are recognized.
S. s. suslicus—southern portion of the range. See description
above.
S. s. boristhenicus—western portion of the range, in the
Ukraine. This is a rather brightly colored subspecies,
with faint spots.
S. s. guttatus—northern portion of the range. This subspe-
cies is relatively dark.conservation: IUCN status—near threatened. Population
trend—decreasing. S. suslicus is considered endangered in
Poland and Moldova.habitat: Speckled ground squirrels prefer open shortgrass
habitats, such as steppes, pastures, and roadsides. They can
be found on or near cultivated fi elds.natural history: This species is diurnal. Speckled
ground squirrels hibernate in burrows from August and
September to February and March. Mating occurs during a
brief period in spring, just after their emergence from hiber-
nation; signifi cant aggression and well-defi ned dominant-
subordinate relations are evident at this time. After a gesta-
tion of 22–27 days, a litter of three to eight young is born
within the burrow; it will be the only one produced for the
year by the female. The young emerge in June and July.
Speckled ground squirrels may share territories, with the
males often covering larger areas than the females. The so-
cial and mating system of this species may be monogamous
at low densities, but it appears to be polygynous when fe-
males aggregate their territories. Territories range from
0.013 to 0.055 ha, with those of the females slightly smaller
than those of the males, especially when females are nurs-
ing their young, and in early spring, when males are search-
ing for females. Juveniles disperse before their fi rst hiberna-
tion, and males in particular move far from their natal area.
Short and shallow escape burrows are common; deep (1–
2 m) and more complex maternity and hibernation burrows
are less so. Their diet consists primarily of grasses and ce-
real grains, with insects and other animal matter occasion-
ally eaten. Overwinter mortality can be as high as 70 per-
cent, but it is variable, depending on winter temperatures
and snowpack. More than half of the juveniles perish before
the end of their fi rst year, and mortality is highest for late-
born young. Infanticide is known to occur in S. suslicus.
Adult survival is higher, and some individuals can live for
up to 6 years. Many populations appear to show evidence of
genetic bottlenecks in the past, perhaps due to the highly
variable demography of this species. Signifi cant predators
of speckled ground squirrels include mustelids, foxes, and
raptors. In response to potential predators, individuals give
alarm calls that are highly variable, weakly modulated, high-Spermophilus suslicus. Photo courtesy Ilya Volodin.