Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae
European Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus citellus
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
The European ground squirrel or European souslik is a colonial rodent of the steppes and grasslands of central and eastern Europe. It lives in colonies that dig burrows in well-drained soils and hibernates for between six and eight months a year. It depends on short grass: it needs to see predators at a distance, so it only thrives where the sward is kept low by grazing or mowing. The abandonment of extensive livestock farming and the conversion of pasture to arable land have caused it to collapse across its range.
Weight
200 g – 430 g
Size
18 cm – 23 cm
Life expectancy
6 years
