ground squirrel

For every observation of a California poppy or a ground squirrel, there are three western fence lizards.

A UC Davis study found a population of Bay Area ground squirrels hunting and eating voles, suggesting the species may be more flexible in its diet than previously thought.

“The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans,” Wild said.

Yucca moth caterpillars, kangaroo rats and ground squirrels eat their seeds.

Yellow-bellied marmots are a large ground squirrel closely related to groundhogs.