You may have family all across the nation. So do your local tree squirrels!
The squirrel family includes down-to-earth rodents like chipmunks, groundhogs, and prairie dogs – collectively known as ground squirrels. Now, UNCG’s Dr. Bryan McLean and his collaborators have identified a new mammal in North America, the Snake River Plains ground squirrel, in Idaho.
While discovering new species doesn’t happen every day, it is not unheard of. “There are approximately 430 identified mammals in North America,” McLean says. New species are still being described, but the process takes years.
Learn more at UNCG research news.
Photograph from myworldofbirdphotography via iNaturalist.org