Laelaps
Musings on evolution, the fossil record, and our place in nature
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Laelaps is the blog of freelance science writer Brian Switek. This blog frequently features his musings on paleontology, evolution, and the history of science. Switek also blogs for Smithsonian magazine's Dinosaur Tracking, and he is a research associate at the New Jersey State Museum.
Switek's first book, Written in Stone, will be published on November 1, 2010 by Bellevue Literary Press.
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« Photo of the Day #756: American avocets | Main | Photo of the Day #758: Sand flies and brine shrimp »
Photo of the Day #757: Rock squirrel
Category: Mammals • Photography
Posted on: November 8, 2009 8:05 AM, by Brian Switek
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Comments
Your rock squirrel was not familiar to me, so I did a litle research. In the Edwards Plateau of Texas the males are black and the females a pretty reddish brown. They are the same species, and have a properly descriptive species name.
Posted by: Jim Thomerson | November 8, 2009 1:41 PM
As of earlier this year, it's probably better treated as Otospermophilus variegatus. Helgen et al. (Journal of Mammalogy, 90:270-305) make a very good case for splitting up Spermophilus, notably that it is paraphyletic with respect to marmots, and prairie dogs.
Posted by: Norris | November 9, 2009 6:45 PM
I look at this pic and imagine the squirrel whispering, "... for these gifts i am about to receive, thank you lord."
Posted by: Rowan | November 10, 2009 7:31 PM
Brian,
You captured another adorable animal form in nature, so beautiful and precious. Other precious and wonderful forms are out there abundantly, which is not difficult to imagine, but capturing them at the right moment is not easy. You delivered another once more, and it is precious!
AriSan
Posted by: AriSan | November 12, 2009 10:25 AM