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April

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This Month in Yellowstone
Uinta Ground Squirrel and Coyote

The emergence of the Uinta Ground Squirrels tells us that spring has arrived. These gorgeous little squirrels spend most of their lives underground. When the weather warms up in the spring, they emerge from their hibernation to feast on the lush grass. In the Mammoth area the first individuals come out of their holes in the last days of March or the first days of April.

When he got back from lunch on April 23, Tom Cawley (Webmaster) saw a ground squirrel standing erect in the lawn in front of the Albright Visitor Center. He grabbed the video camera and headed out into the lawn to take some video. As soon as the tripod was set, a coyote approached from across the road. It walked directly toward Tom but, unfortunately, the long lens on the camera made it difficult to shoot. Nonetheless, he got a little footage to show you.

The ground squirrel that was formerly casually eating the lawn was nowhere to be seen. Coyotes eat ground squirrels, you know. Later in the afternoon Tom noticed the squirrel dining on the lawn again and he headed back out to take the video you see here.