The daily activities of S. variegatus consist mostly of foraging and feeding. Rock squirrels forage both in the trees and on the ground. They climb bushes and trees in search of food nearly as well as tree squirrels. Most foraging takes place in the morning, where food ventures last about twelve minutes at a time. As temperatures increase, rock squirrels spend less and less time during each foraging trip. Rock squirrels eat some of their food as they collect it, but often bring it to a lookout point to eat. In addition, rock squirrels collect large numbers of food items in their cheek pouches and bury their bounty in small holes outside their burrows. The cheek pouches of rock squirrels are quite large, and one researcher counted 62 Gambel's oak acorns carried in the pouches of one individual.
A very wide range of food items makes up the diet of rock squirrels. S. variegatus is known to eat green vegetation, fruits, nuts, grains, berries, roots, flowers, cacti, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. Some of the most important plant foods include, oak acorns, wild sumac berries, cherries, wild plums, wild rye, assorted grasses, walnuts, pine nuts, mesquite, juniper berries, currants, cacti, and agaves. The primary invertebrate food items are grasshoppers, beetles, and earthworms. The wild vertebrates that rock squirrels prey on include young wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and other fowl. In captivity S. variegatus has even eaten a bannertail kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis).
The diet of rock squirrels changes seasonally depending on availability of food items. Mostly green vegetation is consumed in early spring, berries and and other fruits are consumed in the summer, and grains, seeds, and nuts are eaten in the fall.
Some preliminary research has shown that where rock squirrels feed on pinyon pine (Pinus edulis), they compete for seeds against birds and insects. When insect herbivores were removed from pinyon pines, small mammals (including S. variegatus) consumed more of the seeds. (Christensen and Whitman, 1993; Johnson, 1979; National Audobon Society, 1996; Oaks, et al., 1987)
Primary Diet
omnivore
Animal Foods
birds
mammals
eggs
insects
terrestrial worms
Plant Foods
leaves
roots and tubers
wood, bark, or stems
seeds, grains, and nuts
fruit
flowers
Foraging Behavior
stores or caches food
Re: peter's poops!
Reply With Quote
or maybe mix up the two, i actually just read about henrys yesterday and was thinking about ordering some.
