Habitat of the California Ground Squirrel

California ground squirrels inhabit areas from northern Mexico up the west coast of the U.S. to central Washington. They are relatively large -- up to 18 inches in length -- with a long, bushy tail. They are ground-dwelling animals that unfortunately carry fleas that have bubonic plague. They shouldn't be approached because they can pass along this dangerous disease, though most campgrounds will post warnings if they detected the disease in the squirrels. The website Critter Control calls the California ground squirrel "the most serious native rodent pest in California." These animals live in a wide variety of habitats.

  1. Successional Habitats

    • California ground squirrels inhabit what are called successional habitats, which are natural environments that are in constant change. There are two stages of successional environments: primary and secondary. Primary habitats are new and have been sparsely colonized by plants and animals. Ground squirrels can live in relatively barren, rocky, primary succession environments. They also live on secondary succession environments, which include those that have been previously damaged or disturbed by wildfire or other causes but have a foundation of ecological growth. These squirrels can live in desert and disturbed forest areas, but prefer grasslands and plains.

    Human-Developed Environments

    • Highly adaptable ,ground squirrels call a number of developed environments their own. They're known to live near roadways, railroads, in ditch banks, near levees and beneath rural buildings and homes. One of the reasons they are considered pests is because they live near grain and crop fields and feed on farmers' land.

    Grasslands

    • The preferred habitat of the California ground squirrel are open grasslands where there is little forest or tree growth. They have the ability to successfully overpopulate areas because of their wide-ranging diet. These squirrels thrive in rangelands and pasturelands where they deplete livestock forage, another reason they're considered pests.

    The Burrow

    • The easiest place for a California ground squirrel to burrow is on the side of banks or hills where they dig more horizontally than vertically. They can dig burrows 4 to 5 inches in diameter and up to 35 feet in length where anywhere from one to a large family of 10 or 11 can live. These animals normally spend most of their lives within 100 feet of their burrows.