Rock squirrel
species of mammal
The rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is native to Mexico and the Southwestern United States, including southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and the panhandle of Oklahoma.
In Texas, they can be found in the western, central and Panhandle regions. They are especially common in the Texas Hill Country, a Subregion in central Texas.
Characteristics
Rock squirrels are one of the largest members of the family Scuridae, with adults measuring up to 21 inches (53 cm) in length. In front and on top, the squirrel's coat is a speckled grayish brown; on the rear and bottom, the gray becomes a more mottled brownish-black tone. They have a marked light-colored ring around their eyes and pointed ears that project well above their heads. Rock squirrels have a long, bushy tail with white edges.
Life history/behavior
The female rock squirrel has two litters a year, with three to nine young in each litter. The first litter is typically born from April to June, while the second is born in August or September.
“Rock squirrel” enters the record as species of mammal. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Rock, squirrel and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Rock squirrel” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Rock, squirrel and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1404317. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rock squirrel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.