{{Short description|Species of rodent}} {{Speciesbox | name = Harris's antelope squirrel | image = Ammospermophilus harrisii2.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author1=Timm, R. |author2=Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. |author3=Castro-Arellano, I. |author4=Lacher, T. |year=2016 |title=''Ammospermophilus harrisii'' |errata=2017 |article-number=e.T42399A115189204 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42399A22251385.en |access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> | taxon = Ammospermophilus harrisii | authority = (Audubon & Bachman, 1854) | range_map = Ammospermophilus harrisii distribution.png | synonyms = }} '''Harris's antelope squirrel''' ('''''Ammospermophilus harrisii''''') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.<ref name = MSW3>{{MSW3 Sciuridae | id = 12400893 | page = 797}}</ref> It is found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and in Sonora in Mexico. They are adapted to hot weather conditions including a technique called "heat dumping". They have a wide-ranging diet, including both vegetation, insects, small rodents and carrion.
==Taxonomy and description== thumb|left|upright|''A. harrisii'' holding its tail over its back The species is named after Edward Harris.<ref name=adw>{{cite web|last=Shah|first=Amy|title=''Ammospermophilus harrisii'' Harris's antelope squirrel|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Ammospermophilus_harrisii/|publisher=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=12 January 2013}}</ref> Examples of ''A. harrisii'' have distinctive markings on their grey fur, with brown highlights on the sides and legs and a white strip down the side of the torso and encircling their eyes.<ref name=factsheet/> Their fur grows longer in the winter than it does in the summer.<ref name=adw/> Adults weigh around {{convert|4|-|5|oz|g}}, and measure {{convert|8.5|-|10|in|cm}} minus their tail, which measures {{convert|3|-|4|in|cm}}.<ref name=factsheet>{{cite web|title=Animal Fact Sheet: Harris's Antelope Squirrel|url=http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Harris's%20Antelope%20ground%20Squirrel.php|publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum|access-date=12 January 2013}}</ref> They can be mistaken for chipmunks.<ref name=lazoo/>
''A. harrisii'' has a high body temperature of 97-107 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 - 41.6 °C) <ref name=lazoo/> In order to protect itself from the heat of the Sonoran Desert, ''A. harrisii'' carries their tails over their bodies in order to provide shade.<ref name=factsheet/> ''A. harrisii'' also participates in a heat reduction method where individuals move into shaded positions and lie spread eagled against the ground. This is referred to as "heat dumping".<ref name=factsheet/> They are active during the day, and do not sweat but otherwise reduce temperature by salivating.<ref name=lazoo/>
The optimum reproductive period for ''A. harrisii'' is between February and March although mating can take place between December and June. Gestation lasts thirty days, and females usually have one litter per year with an average of 6.5 pups. Newborns grow to adult size at around 217 days after birth. Both males and females reach sexual maturity during the first year.<ref name=adw/>
==Habitat== The habitat of ''A. harrisii'' ranges across the Southwestern United States, specifically in Arizona and the southwest of New Mexico. The range extends outside the US into Mexico into the northwest of the state of Sonora. They are designated as a non-game animal by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.<ref name=factsheet/> While the species is not endangered, the range of its habitats is being reduced by human developments.<ref name=lazoo>{{cite web|title=Harris's Antelope Squirrel|url=http://www.lazoo.org/animals/mammals/squirrel_antelope/index.html|publisher=Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens|access-date=12 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120061343/http://lazoo.org/animals/mammals/squirrel_antelope/index.html|archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>
Their diet includes the fruit and seeds of local cactus plants, as well as beans of the mesquite plant. They do not only eat vegetation, and also consume insects, small rodents and carrion.<ref name=factsheet/><ref name=lazoo/> They have a variety of predators including the bobcat, coyotes, as well as local snakes and domestic animals such as dogs and cats.<ref name=factsheet/>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Ammospermophilus harrisii|position=left}}
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Category:Ammospermophilus Category:Rodents of Mexico Category:Rodents of the United States Category:Natural history of Sonora Category:Mammals described in 1854 Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Category:Taxa named by John James Audubon Category:Taxa named by John Bachman