Arctic Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus parryii
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 2,138
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) (Inuktitut: ᓯᒃᓯᒃ, siksik) is a species of ground squirrel in the squirrel family Sciuridae that is native to the Arctic and Subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, mainly in North America and Asia. For some people in Alaska, particularly around the Aleutian Islands, the rodents are known as "parka" squirrels, likely due to their pelts being used for the ruff on parkas and other cold-weather clothing.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Arctic ground squirrel”.