Brandt's Ground Squirrel

Brandt's ground squirrel is smaller than most other ground squirrels of its genus, at 16.5–21cm long with a short tail of 3–5cm, and weighs up to 440g. It is ochre-brown with distinctive lighter spots, and the hind feet are russet, as is the tail, though in some parts of the range the tail is yellowish. It is found in eastern Kazakhstan and the northern half of the Xinjiang region of China (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives communally or singly in burrows, where it hibernates in winter and aestivates in excessive summer heat. The burrow entrance is often at the base of a bush. The diet is primarily vegetarian, consisting of seasonal plant growth including young shoots of certain shrubs, bulbs and tubers (Wikipedia, general species account).