Ground squirrel

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ground-squirrel

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Marmotini (tribe)
2. What do ground squirrels use their burrows for?They dig underground homes called burrows. The burrows aerate the soil, help water soak in, and give other animals a safe place to live.
3. Why do ground squirrels have cheek pouches?Cheek pouches let them carry lots of food quickly. They can bring seeds and plants back to their burrow to eat later.

Fossorial: Adapted for digging and living underground, characterized by strong limbs and claws.
Holarctic: A biogeographical realm encompassing temperate and arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Torpor: A state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate.
Ecosystem Engineers: Organisms that create, maintain, or destroy habitats, significantly altering the environment for other species.