Ground Squirrels
Self-Guided Activities | Sense: Smell | Water Striders | Beaver In Fall | Fungi |
Weather and Climate Scavenger Hunt | Interdependency Inventory

Introduction: 
As presented, the following activity is designed to fit the grade 3 unit "Animal Life Cycles". With modifications to fit topic and students' skill levels, it would also work well for the grade 1 units "Seasonal Changes" (#2) and "Needs of Plants and Animals" (#6 and 10) and the grade 4 unit "Plant Growth and Changes" (#1). Connection to other curriculum areas can be incorporated: math (measuring, calculations), art (sketching viewpoints and by direct observation, rubbings) and language arts (journals, reflection, poetry), drama (skits, charades, role playing), social studies (map reading, communities) 

Activity Summary:
Students will learn how the grasslands ecosystem, including the soil found there, enables the ground squirrel to meet its needs for shelter, space and food. Students will also learn about the life cycle of the ground squirrel. 

Season: Early spring to early fall 

Time: 30-45 minutes 

Preparatory: Review the concepts of basic needs, interdependency, adaptations and ecosystems. 

Equipment required: Tape measures, journals, pencils, clipboards 

Setting: Grasslands with short grass, picnic areas in the park work well. 

Instructions:

Animal Observation:
Have your small group sitting quietly on a picnic table. When the ground squirrels emerge, ask the students to observe the animals: 

Appearance: body colour and shape, tail length and covering, size, shape and placement of eyes and ears, front and back feet and claws. Dark marks on the body are scars from wounds inflicted during fights to claim territory and mates.

Behaviour: watch the animal's movements as it runs or digs. What parts of the body does it use when it eats? Can the students imitate the noise the ground squirrel makes? What body position does the lookout ground squirrel have and are any parts of its body moving?

Colonies: Do the ground squirrels live together or in separate burrows? (except for mothers with babies, each ground squirrel has its own burrows and tunnels). Why do they live so close together? (many eyes and ears alert for danger provides greater safety for all from predators as the ground squirrels whistle warnings to each other).

1. Move your group to the grass and ask them to look at a hole with a large mound of dirt beside it. This is the main entrance to a ground squirrel's tunnels. Have the students:
• Feel the soil and describe it. Ask the students why the type of soil would be important to a ground squirrel. (It can only live in areas where it can dig burrows. Heavy clay or gravelly areas are not good locations for ground squirrels.)
• Measure the height of the soil mound. Add 21 cm (the average size of an adult ground squirrel) to the height of the mound. Is the total greater than the height of the surrounding grass? (the ground squirrel sits up on the mound to watch for land predators such as badgers, weasels, snakes, coyotes, dogs and people.)
2. Have the students look for holes near the main entrance.
• How many do the students think are part of the same ground squirrel's territory as the main entrance you looked at? Can they see a ground squirrel using more than 1 hole? (on average, there are 8 holes.)
• Have the students look carefully through the grass for very small holes with no soil around them. These are the emergency plunge holes, quick ways to escape predators.
3. Discuss the tunnels underground.
• Show the students how long 1 metre and 1½ metres are by measuring it out vertical next to a student or yourself. Explain that is how deep underground the tunnels can be.
• Have the students measure out 15 metres on the ground so they better visualize how long the underground tunnels can be.
• Ask one student to make a circle with arms. Adjust the size until the circle is 23 cm across. That is the average size of the ground squirrel's nesting and hibernation chambers underground. Remember, the ground squirrel is 21 cm long. The nest area is lined with dried grass.
4. Tell the students that baby ground squirrels are naked and blind when born. They stay in the nest area until they are 4 or 5 weeks old. Only the mother ground squirrel takes care of them. When the babies are 8 or 9 weeks old they still use mother's tunnels but they sleep in a different chamber (room).

1. Read the following to the students. "A ground squirrel is an omnivore: it eats both plants and animals. It likes flowers, leaves and seeds of native grasses and plants, like dandelions. It also eats small amounts of insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles."
2. Looking carefully through the grass, how many different things can the students find that a ground squirrel might eat? After the students have finished exploring, gather them together to discuss their discoveries.
3. Remind the students that baby ground squirrels have no fur and cannot see when they are born. Ask the students how they think baby ground squirrels get food. (like all mammals, they get their nourishment from their mother's milk as they nurse) When they are about 4 or 5 weeks old and come out of the nesting chamber, the babies start eating plants.

SPECIAL NOTE: Ground squirrels, mistakenly called gophers by many people, are a critical link in the food chain of the grasslands ecosystem. They are a main food source for many predators and burrowing owls (a THREATENED species in Alberta) use vacant ground squirrel burrows to raise their young. These owls also eat ground squirrels. Like all other wildlife species, ground squirrels are protected in provincial parks. Feeding and harassment are prohibited.