Spermophilus alaschanicus Buchner

The Alashan yellow rat was originally listed as a subspecies of the Daurian yellow rat, and became an independent valid species in 1975. It lives in grasslands and semi-desert environments. It is diurnal. It feeds on the roots, stems, leaves and seeds of herbaceous plants, and also eats insects. It is a great harm to grasslands and crops, and is also a host of some infectious diseases (such as plague virus, etc.).

Alashan yellow squirrels mainly live in deserts, semi-desert grasslands, near farmlands, cemeteries and valley banks. They are generally active during the day, active frequently in the early morning and evening, prefer warmth and avoid heat, and hibernate in winter. After leaving the cave, they are good at standing upright and looking out. The range of activity is generally no more than 100 meters. Except for the mating period, they like to live alone, and the cave structure is complex. They feed on the green parts of herbaceous plants, and also eat the seedlings of crops, and sometimes eat grass roots and the larvae of certain insects.

Alashan yellow rats usually hibernate from late September to late March of the following year. They reproduce once a year, mate in spring, and have a gestation period of about 28 days, giving birth to 6 to 8 pups.

Listed in the National Three Protected Animals List

In China, it is distributed in Qinghai, Alxa League in Inner Mongolia, central Shanxi to western Shaanxi, and may also be distributed in eastern Gansu and Ningxia. Abroad, it is distributed in Mongolia.

It mainly inhabits forest grasslands, desert plains, and semi-desert grasslands. A few species, such as the long-tailed yellow mouse, can be distributed in high mountain areas above 2,000 meters above sea level.

The average body length is close to 200mm, and the average tail length is about 62mm. The eye socket area is white, with a light reddish brown area below the eye socket. A light white line from the snout to the base of the ear passes between the white eye socket area and the light reddish brown area below it. The back of the body is mainly light yellow, with yellowish white waists. The color of the back of the tail is similar to that of the back of the body, the ventral side of the tail is rusty red, and the end of the tail has a long rusty red tail tip.