Rock
Squirrel
Spermophilus variegatus
Body length: 10 - 11"
Diet: Seeds, vegetation, insects, and vertebrate animals
Often seen along the trails leading to the Upper and Lower
Cliff Dwellings, rock squirrels look like the gray squirrels seen at bird
feeders in the northern and eastern US. True to their name, they may be seen sitting
on rock perches or the walls of the cliff dwellings. When alarmed, they give a
high-pitched whistle.
Rock squirrels like to dig,
and may be the primary source of damage to the ancient walls and floors of the
Upper Cliff Dwelling. In some cases, squirrel
activity has destroyed archeological artifacts beneath the surface. However, rock
squirrels have undoubtedly inhabited the ruins for a long time, for their bones
are found in some of the earliest Salado deposits.
Rock squirrels are omnivorous, eating foods as diverse as mesquite beans, green
shoots, insects, and carrion.
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Updated
May 8, 2005