ground squirrel
noun
: any of various burrowing North American and Eurasian rodents (especially genus Spermophilus) of the squirrel family that often live in colonies especially in open areas (such as grasslands)
called also spermophile
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Either way, search the skies for circling red-tailed hawks, who conserve energy and gain altitude through rising columns of air (thermals) before diving acrobatically to swoop on unsuspecting SoCal prey, like the California ground squirrel. 
Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022 The lead conservationist is a large, fluffy ground squirrel known as a marmot. San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022 Since squirrels haven’t been shown to recognize their own reflections, this trial let researchers observe how a ground squirrel would treat another member of its species. Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2021 Considering that a heavy ground squirrel weighs a pound, this activity struck me as akin to digging ditches 12 hours a day for minimum wage—the effort was grossly disproportionate to the reward. Philip Caputo, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2020 Marmots a type of large ground squirrel that is eaten in some parts of China and the neighboring country Mongolia, and which have historically caused plague outbreaks in the region. Nectar Gan And Jessie Yeung, CNN, 7 Aug. 2020 Your odds of seeing wild animals — ranging from arctic ground squirrels, marmots and Dall sheep to bears and moose — are good, considering the trail isn’t as trafficked as others in the Chugach. Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020 Whereas some fears are innate—such as humans’ fear of spiders or snakes or a ground squirrel’s fear of foxes—others are learned, either through direct experience or observing others. Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, 21 May 2020 Varmint hunting encompasses a wide variety of critters, ranging in size from ground squirrels to even feral hogs. Richard Mann, Field & Stream, 17 Sep. 2019 See More
Matt Pawlik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022 The lead conservationist is a large, fluffy ground squirrel known as a marmot. San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022 Since squirrels haven’t been shown to recognize their own reflections, this trial let researchers observe how a ground squirrel would treat another member of its species. Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2021 Considering that a heavy ground squirrel weighs a pound, this activity struck me as akin to digging ditches 12 hours a day for minimum wage—the effort was grossly disproportionate to the reward. Philip Caputo, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2020 Marmots a type of large ground squirrel that is eaten in some parts of China and the neighboring country Mongolia, and which have historically caused plague outbreaks in the region. Nectar Gan And Jessie Yeung, CNN, 7 Aug. 2020 Your odds of seeing wild animals — ranging from arctic ground squirrels, marmots and Dall sheep to bears and moose — are good, considering the trail isn’t as trafficked as others in the Chugach. Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020 Whereas some fears are innate—such as humans’ fear of spiders or snakes or a ground squirrel’s fear of foxes—others are learned, either through direct experience or observing others. Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, 21 May 2020 Varmint hunting encompasses a wide variety of critters, ranging in size from ground squirrels to even feral hogs. Richard Mann, Field & Stream, 17 Sep. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1688, in the meaning defined above