The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), also known as the striped gopher or leopard ground squirrel, is a common sight across the grasslands and prairies of North America. These small, slender creatures are easily identified by the thirteen alternating brown and tan stripes that run along their backs and sides. While often admired for their distinctive markings and diurnal behavior, their dietary habits are less widely known. Despite their genus name (Spermophilus) meaning "seed lover" or "seed eater", these ground squirrels are opportunistic omnivores with a varied diet that shifts with the seasons and available resources.
Habitat and Distribution
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel's distribution spans from Ohio and Michigan in the east to Montana in the west, extending north into Canada and south to the Texas coast. They thrive in open areas with short grass and well-drained loamy or sandy soils, essential for constructing their burrows. These squirrels avoid wooded areas, preferring the visibility and ease of movement offered by grasslands, cemeteries, golf courses, parks, lawns, fencerows and roadsides. The plants must be short enough for this animal to see over them when sitting up on its hind legs.
General Dietary Habits
Thirteen-lined ground squirrels are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter. Their diet includes seeds, grasses, leaves, insects, mice, voles, lizards, toads, and even the eggs of ground-nesting birds. They also consume seeds, green shoots, flower heads, roots, vegetables, fruits, and cereal grains. They rarely drink water, depending on moisture contained in their food.
Seasonal Diet Variations
The diet of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel varies depending on the time of year. During the summer, insects constitute up to half of their diet. They consume large quantities of grasshoppers and beetle and moth larvae. In the fall, they establish burrow caches of food and an anatomical layer of fat. The cached food may be eaten during periods of bad weather or in the late autumn and early spring when other food is scarce.
Preference for Seeds and Grains
Despite their varied diet, seeds and grains remain a staple food source for thirteen-lined ground squirrels, aligning with their genus name. They consume grains and garden vegetables. They also cache large quantities of seeds and grass.
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Animal Matter Consumption
Insects are a crucial part of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel's diet, especially during the summer months. They are known to eat cicadas, crickets, and grasshoppers. They also consume wireworms, caterpillars, beetles, cutworms, ants, insect eggs, mice, earthworms, small birds, and other thirteen-lined ground squirrels.
Impact on Ecosystem and Human Interests
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel's omnivorous diet has both positive and negative impacts. They may damage crops by digging up sprouting corn or eating the choicest heads of ripe oats, but their feeding on insects and mice generally offsets this detrimental habit. They may also be undesirable on golf courses. They serve as food for many predators (including mammals, birds and reptiles), and their digging aerates the soil, conditions it for plant growth, and may attract earthworms, insects, and other soil-building organisms. They also help distribute seeds.
Nutritional Adaptations for Hibernation
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is a true hibernator, sleeping from late August until mid-April. To prepare for this extended period of dormancy, they quickly gain weight in the autumn. They establish burrow caches of food and an anatomical layer of fat. When they wake from hibernation, they eat food caches, especially just before emerging.
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