📸 PhotoPhoto: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
European Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus citellus (European Ground Squirrel · ヨーロッパハタリス)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum weight of 380 g is about six chicken eggs (around 60 g each), and its total length of 28.8 cm is slightly shorter than a 30 cm ruler (Comparison).
- 💡 Animal Diversity Web notes that it also inhabits human-made grounds such as pastures, sports fields, lawns, and golf courses.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The European Ground Squirrel is a small ground squirrel that digs burrows in short-grass steppes of Europe and hibernates for about 6 months in winter.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a rounded body with short legs and a short tail. It has 22 teeth in total, and body size varies with age, sex, and environmental conditions.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on roots, shoots, leaves, and flowers as well as mice, small animals, and bird eggs, storing seeds and fruits in its burrow. Active by day, it lives in colonies where each individual uses its own separate burrow.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List EN (2024) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/20472/221789466
- • IUCN Red List category EN — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1001772
- • iucnredlist.org — 221789466
- • wikidata.org — Q623466
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:European souslik (Spermophilus citellus) Obrovisko.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Spermophilus citellus
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Margot Michaud · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Spermophilus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.