Do Richardsons ground squirrels mate for life?
No; the association between a male and a female lasts only an hour or so, just long enough for courtship and copulation. In fact, female Richardson’s ground squirrels sometimes mate with 2 or 3 males during the one afternoon that they are in estrus in the early spring. A female Richardson’s ground squirrel does not allow any males into the burrow system in which she gives birth and raises her litter. Males never assist with rearing young, and males probably never know which are their own young. Because males have a shorter life span than females, females almost always mate with different males in different years. For further information, see Reproduction & Development, Reproductive Behavior, and Sexual Differences in Behavior.
