Rock Squirrel

Rock squirrels are large, ground-dwelling ground squirrels — the name doubles up for a reason — found among rocky outcrops, canyons, and boulder fields across the southwestern United States and Mexico, often seen basking out in the open on exposed rock. Most of their time is spent on the ground, but rock squirrels climb readily enough to turn up in trees and shrubs too. A mottled gray-brown coat helps them blend into the rocky terrain they favor, and they forage on seeds, green vegetation, and occasionally insects and small vertebrates.