Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) Adapting to Warming Temperatures

Diane Abraham writes,

Where I live squirrels will usually be out by April or May and because of our unusual weather recurrences (warmer temperature), the young squirrel is out of its den. The hibernation is usually from October to late April or May. We also never seen much snow for 5-6 years, the cold snap in January following increase precipitation made it feel like winter, I see folks traveling for subsistence, visiting nearest neighboring villages, gathering woods or enjoy an outing. Unusual squirrel coping with weather temp.

Moses Tcheripanoff writes,

According to ADF&G the Arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii) can be found in northern, eastern and southwestern areas of Alaska. Typically, they are found in areas with well draining soils or tundra that produce early vegetation. Arctic ground squirrels are unique because they have adapted to cold winter temperatures by entering a period of hibernation between August and October, depending on location. During hibernation, the squirrels' body temperatures drop from approximately 99 degrees to 27 degrees. Periodically, they will warm themselves up for 1-2 days, and resume hibernation until April or May. Males will come out of hibernation earlier than females to reach sexual maturation before breeding season begins. Research suggests that one of the indications for males to come out of hibernation is the surrounding soil temperature (Sheriff MJ, et al., 2013). Pictured below is a figure showing the departure from average temperature in regions around Alaska. The Twin Hills area experienced temperatures approximately 4-6 degrees above average between December 2017 and February 2018.

This observation has been shared with the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Resources:

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game – Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) Species Profile
• National Park Service – Denali, National Park & Preserve Alaska
• SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN – What the Supercool Arctic Ground Squirrel Teaches Us about the Brain's Resilience, During hibernation, the ground squirrel's brain loses many vital neural connections, but it has evolved a way to recuperate. By Ferris Jabr. June 2012

Audio file:

Species Profile: Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii)

Alaska Department of Fish and Game