#0380 · 🦊 mammals
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus parryii
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
- 2. © Matt Muir · CC BY 4.0
- 3. © Guy L. Monty · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Matt Muir · CC BY 4.0
- 5. © Alexander Yakovlev · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Robbie Hannawacker · CC0
- 7. © Cameron Eckert · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © Alan Vernon · CC BY 4.0
- 9. © John D Reynolds · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. © squirrelwatcher019 · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The Arctic ground squirrel ( Spermophilus parryii or Urocitellus parryii ) is a species of ground squirrel native to the Arctic. People in Alaska, particularly around the Aleutians, refer to them as "parka" (pronounced "par'kee") squirrels, most likely because their pelt is good for the ruff on parkas and for clothing.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 3,467 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by John Richardson in 1825 (201 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Arctic Ground Squirrel
- scientific name
- Urocitellus parryii
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Rodentia
- family
- Sciuridae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 3,467
- GBIF records in NL
- 0
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1825 by John Richardson
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Sciuridae
#0008 📷 10Eurasian Red Squirrel
🇳🇱 Rode eekhoorn
Sciurus vulgaris
LC 👀 712 in NL
#0033 📷 8Siberian Chipmunk
🇳🇱 Koreaanse Grondeekhoorn
Eutamias sibiricus
LC 👀 26 in NL
#0075 📷 10Eastern Gray Squirrel
🇳🇱 Noord-Amerikaanse grijze eekhoorn
Sciurus carolinensis
LC 🌍 418.6k seen
#0199 📷 9Eastern Fox Squirrel
🇳🇱 Amerikaanse voseekhoorn
Sciurus niger
LC 🌍 173.4k seen
#0078 📷 10Eastern Chipmunk
🇳🇱 Oostelijke Wangzakeekhoorn
Tamias striatus
LC 🌍 112.8k seen
#0079 📷 10American Red Squirrel
🇳🇱 Amerikaanse Rode Eekhoorn
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
LC 🌍 103.4k seen
#0203 📷 10Groundhog
🇳🇱 Bosmarmot
Marmota monax
LC 🌍 67.1k seen
#0204 📷 7California Ground Squirrel
🇳🇱 Californische Grondeekhoorn
Otospermophilus beecheyi
LC 🌍 65.1k seen
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 180001, Wikidata Q21730506, GBIF 8303143, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.