Defenders' Experts
Mohave Ground Squirrel: Background and Recovery
The Mohave ground squirrel has long been listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. It is one of the more illusive animals of the California desert, being only 9 inches from nose to tip of tail and is only found in the western Mojave Desert. Their highly developed desert survival skills allow them to avoid the extremes of the hostile climate. They are very hard to find and even more difficult to observe and study.
Habitat and Range
The Mohave ground squirrel occupies all major desert scrub habitats in the Western Mojave Desert. It is found in portions of Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and ranges from near Palmdale on the southwest to Lucerne Valley on the southeast, Olancha on the northwest and the Avawatz Mountains on the northeast.
Virtually the entire range of the Mohave ground squirrel is within the West Mojave Planning Area, which covers 9.3 million acres in the western portion of the Mojave Desert in southern California covering parts of San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern, and Inyo Counties. The species occupies canyons in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada up to 5600 ft. (1706 m).
In the northwest, the species occupies the Coso Range and Argus Range. The northeast part of the range extends to the Avawatz Mountains and Soda Mountains. The Mojave River roughly marks the southeastern extent of its range, although the species historically occupied an area east of the Mojave River as far as Lucerne Valley.
The southern edge of the distribution of the species is limited by the abrupt rise of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains. Although the species likely occupied the Antelope Valley historically, widespread conversion of native habitats has apparently resulted in the extirpation of the species from west of Palmdale and Lancaster.
Behavior and Diet
Since water is frequently scarce in the desert, Mohave ground squirrels control their population and food sources by refusing to mate when there is too little rainfall. Adults are solitary except during breeding, which occurs soon after the squirrels end their hibernation. Individuals may maintain several home burrows that are used at night, as well as accessory burrows that are used for temperature control and predator avoidance.
Mohave ground squirrels feed on a variety of foods, but primarily on the leaves and seeds of forbs and shrubs. Invertebrates are consumed regularly, but make up a relatively small proportion of the diet.
Threats
Being endemic to
the West Mojave
Desert, the ground
squirrel is threatened by habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, as well
as urbanization and development, grazing, military operations and impacts from
vehicles. To ensure its future, Defenders of Wildlife in 2005 petitioned to have
it protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Petition to list the Mohave ground squirrel as an endangered species
Determining the status of the Mohave ground squirrel is difficult due to behavioral and demographic aspects of the species. The species is inactive throughout much of the year, and abundance as well as the period of surface activity varies from year to year.
Live-trapping studies must be scheduled carefully and even then cannot necessarily establish the absence of the species from a site.
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