It is hard to guess what a Franklin’s ground squirrel weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Franklin’s ground squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii) on average weights 458 grams (1.01 lbs).
The Franklin’s ground squirrel is from the family Sciuridae (genus: Spermophilus). It is usually born with about 9 grams (0.02 lbs). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 24.5 cm (0′ 10″). On average, Franklin’s ground squirrels can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 9.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
Franklin’s ground squirrel (Poliocitellus franklinii) is a species of squirrel native to North America, and the only member of the genus Poliocitellus. Due to the destruction of prairie, the populations of Franklin’s ground squirrel have dwindled, approaching levels of concern. However, the species is prolific and locally abundant.
Animals of the same family as a Franklin’s ground squirrel
We found other animals of the Sciuridae family:
- Black-eared squirrel with a size of 9.5 cm (0′ 4″)
- White-tailed prairie dog with a weight of 964 grams
- Palawan flying squirrel with a size of 22 cm (0′ 9″)
- Plantain squirrel with a weight of 210 grams
- Townsend’s chipmunk with a weight of 79 grams
- Slender squirrel with a weight of 74 grams
- Southern Palawan tree squirrel with a size of 21 cm (0′ 9″)
- Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel with 2 babies per litter
- Japanese squirrel with a weight of 264 grams
- Palmer’s chipmunk with a weight of 60 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Franklin’s ground squirrel
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Spermophilus franklinii:
- Painted tree-rat bringing 518 grams to the scale
- Variegated squirrel bringing 485 grams to the scale
- Goya tuco-tuco bringing 400 grams to the scale
- Allen’s woodrat bringing 368 grams to the scale
- Slender-tailed squirrel bringing 427 grams to the scale
- Mutable sun squirrel bringing 390 grams to the scale
- Desert bandicoot bringing 499 grams to the scale
- Vanuatu flying fox bringing 396 grams to the scale
- Smoky pocket gopher bringing 403 grams to the scale
- Bougainville naked-tailed rat bringing 397 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Franklin’s ground squirrel
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Franklin’s ground squirrel:
- Gray four-eyed opossum with a size of 26.5 cm (0′ 11″)
- Long-fingered triok with a size of 23.5 cm (0′ 10″)
- Koslov’s pika with a size of 24 cm (0′ 10″)
- Cape ground squirrel with a size of 24.7 cm (0′ 10″)
- Southern Plains woodrat with a size of 21.3 cm (0′ 9″)
- Great Key Island giant rat with a size of 27.5 cm (0′ 11″)
- Lyle’s flying fox with a size of 23.7 cm (0′ 10″)
- Sinnamary brush-tailed rat with a size of 21.6 cm (0′ 9″)
- Northern quoll with a size of 21.4 cm (0′ 9″)
- Geelvink Bay flying fox with a size of 19.7 cm (0′ 8″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Franklin’s ground squirrel
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (9) as a Franklin’s ground squirrel: