Thursday, November 5, 2026
Science

Big extended families help adult female ground squirrels survive hibernation

For Belding's ground squirrels, adult females are more likely to survive from year to year if they live near more adult female kin—but neither males nor young females get the same boost from nearby family. Jill Mateo and colleagues at the University of Chicago, U.S., report these findings on Nov. 4,...

Big extended families help adult female ground squirrels survive hibernation
Image: Phys.org
For Belding's ground squirrels, adult females are more likely to survive from year to year if they live near more adult female kin—but neither males nor young females get the same boost from nearby family. Jill Mateo and colleagues at the University of Chicago, U.S., report these findings on Nov. 4, 2026, in the journal PLOS One.

Originally published at Phys.org

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