Arctic Ground squirrel

Description:

about 8 inches when in upright pose. Reddish brown stomach and sides, back black with white speckles, short ears close to head.also called Sic Sic because of the alarm sound they make when they spot a predator. They hibernate for 7 months of the year and live 4 years, when out, they have a 25% chance of being somebody;s dinner. Hibernation Chambers are at least a meter underground, Through the winter, their body temp. is the same as the chamber -3* C. they wake up occasionally, bring body temperature up to normal for 24 hours, then go back into hibernation mode.

Habitat:

burrows in permafrost free banks, in Tundra and grassy area

Notes:

found this little fellow at the Arctic Circle along the Dempster Highway,Yukon,We had stopped for lunch and a cherry had dropped. He foound it right away and stuck around for a while . Scars on his head indicate a near miss ,probably from a predator bird, the last shot show him stripping seeds off the grass stalks