CNDDB News Blog

Today we celebrate rodents of the Sciuridae family which includes squirrels and chipmunks. With their bushy tail, small ears, and large eyes, it’s easy to see how these creatures with such cute features has captured the hearts of many humans throughout history.

The CNDDB tracks 10 members of the Sciuridae family:

Nelson's antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni)
San Bernardino golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis bernardinus)
San Bernardino flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis californicus)
Alpine chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)
Kingston Mountain chipmunk (Neotamias panamintinus acrus)
Mount Pinos chipmunk (Neotamias speciosus callipeplus)
Lodgepole chipmunk (Neotamias speciosus speciosus)
Piute ground squirrel (Urocitellus mollis)
Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis)
Palm Springs round-tailed ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus chlorus)

If you happen to see any of them please let us know via our Online Field Survey Form.

A special opportunity for our subscribers in the San Diego area: we are taking our CNDDB/BIOS training on the road and will be in San Diego on January 21st and 23rd. There are only a few spots available. Please contact Annie Chang if you are interested or have any questions.

If you are interested in taking the training course at a different time, we offer classes in Sacramento every other month. Please see our training website for more details about what the class covers, cost, and where it is located.

©2011 Duncan S. Bell

The saguaro (pronounced sah-wah-roh) cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) can grow to over 45 feet in height and is the largest cactus in the United States. It can survive for over 150 years but grows very slowly and generally does not start reproducing until about 35 years of age. The saguaro cactus only occurs in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and is a critical component of the desert ecosystem providing homes and food for a variety of wildlife.

The saguaro cactus is an iconic component of the landscape in Arizona and northern Mexico with an entire National Park dedicated to preserving and celebrating these cacti (Saguaro National Park in Arizona). In addition to Arizona and Mexico, a few isolated populations of this species occur in the far southeastern corner of California along the Arizona/California border. This means that California can claim the saguaro cactus as part of our diverse native flora!

The saguaro cactus is an excellent example of a plant that is rare within California but more common outside the state (California Rare Plant Rank/CRPR 2B). As such, this species is tracked by the CNDDB with only about 30 occurrences known in California. By tracking species that are rare in California but more common outside the state, we are helping to conserve the entire geographic range of widespread species and protecting evolutionary processes and the genetic diversity of these species.

If you happen to come across a saguaro cactus in California, please submit your observation to the CNDDB using our Online Field Survey Form.