Rock squirrel

NPS describes the rock squirrel as found across the southwestern United States, including most of Utah. In Capitol Reef's Fruita area it is abundant, and it is identified by its gray color, relatively large size and long, bushy tail. NPS uses the older name Spermophilus variegatus; many newer sources use Otospermophilus, so both names are searchable here.

It prefers rocky habitats and digs its own burrows. The diet is wide: seeds, nuts, berries, green vegetation, roots, invertebrates and even meat when available. Rock squirrels are active by day, and only the ones at high elevations hibernate. They are semi-social, usually living in loose groups of a dominant male, several females and their young.

A rock squirrel near people is easy to spoil. Feeding makes wild squirrels dependent and can spread disease to people and pets, so just watch. The smaller white-tailed antelope squirrel lives in some of the same country and can be told apart by size and by how it carries its tail.

Large gray squirrel with a long bushy tail, usually near rocks.

Watch from a distance and never feed ground squirrels; keep pets back.