California Ground Squirrel in La Jolla

The California ground squirrel , is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California peninsula; it is common in Oregon and California and its range has relatively recently extended into Washington and northwestern Nevada. Formerly placed in ''Spermophilus'', as ''Spermophilus beecheyi'', it was reclassified in ''Otospermophilus'' in 2009 as it became clear that ''Spermophilus'' as previously defined was not a natural group.