Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, and squinny (formerly known as the leopard-spermophile in the age of Audubon), is a species of hibernating ground squirrel that is widely distributed over grasslands and prairies of North America.
It is brownish, with 13 alternating brown and whitish longitudinal lines (sometimes partially broken into spots) on its back and sides, creating rows of whitish spots within dark lines. This species has usually been placed in the genus Spermophilus with about 40 other species. As this large genus is paraphyletic to prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels, Kristofer Helgen and colleagues have split it into eight genera, placing the thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Ictidomys with two other species.
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is strictly diurnal and is especially active on warm days. A solitary or only somewhat colonial hibernator, it often occurs in aggregations in suitable habitats. In late summer, it puts on a heavy layer of fat and stores some food in its burrow. It enters its nest in October (some adults... Wikipedia →
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United States · 2022
© Gregg Petersen · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2022
© kimcwren · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2026
© John · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skansen | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 2 | Dakota Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltic Sea Science Center | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 25 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months. Those are among Calgary's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel sightings, Calgary ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel that you can see in Calgary (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 40%), Richardson's Ground Squirrel (about 30%) and American Red Squirrel (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Calgary (19 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
