rock squirrel

American  

noun

1. a large, gray ground squirrel, Spermophilus variegatus, inhabiting rocky areas of the southwestern U.S.

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Etymology

Origin of rock squirrel

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rock squirrel

Not the razor-toothed mountain lion, nor the 700-pound bull elk, and not even one of the Canyon’s five species of rattlesnake … no, they were talking about the rock squirrel.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2022

That means that once plague has decimated one rodent species — say, the prairie dog — there are lots of other rodent species nearby it can jump to, like the rock squirrel.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2017

Here and there a chuckwalla darted across the trail or a rock squirrel sat on his haunches and scolded as we passed.

From I Married a Ranger by Smith, Dama Margaret

On July 18, 1960, I found a young male rock squirrel dead on the road a mile north of headquarters that had 234 pinyon seeds in its cheek-pouches.

From Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Anderson, Sydney

The rock squirrel ranges throughout the Park in all habitats.

From Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Anderson, Sydney