About Notocitellus annulatus (Audubon & Bachman, 1842)
The ring-tailed ground squirrel (Notocitellus annulatus) has a total body length between 383 and 470 mm (15 and 19 in), with half of this length made up by the tail. It is slightly smaller than the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi), and has more slender legs and broader, less pointed ears. Its incisors are orange, and it has large cheek pouches that open inside the mouth. The crown of the head and upper parts of the body are covered in a mix of blackish-brown and buff hairs, while the chin, throat, and underparts are solid buff. The tail is slender rather than bushy, it is coloured a mix of buff and black on the upper side and brownish on the underside, and marked with around fifteen dark rings. This ground squirrel is endemic to western Mexico, where its range stretches from the State of Nayarit to the State of Guerrero. It is a lowland species that occurs at elevations up to approximately 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). It occupies a variety of different habitat types, including vine-covered deciduous forests, more open rocky slopes, the edges of cultivated fields, and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations where fallen palm fronds and mesquite scrub litter the ground. Its burrows are often built in walls or dykes, or hidden beneath spreading cacti or scrub, and it sometimes lives in tree hollows.
