Zurok Baibak is a representative of the steppe fauna, which belongs to squirrels. The animal weighs about 10 kilograms, the length of its body can range from 50 to 70 cm, and the length of the tail can reach 15. The groundhog has a short hair of a yellowish or red color. But the ends of the hair are dark, and therefore it may seem that the back of the animal is covered with dark spots. They live for about 8 years, and in captivity they can live longer in rare cases, while sexually maturity occurs in the third year.
Habitats
Surki live in Asia and Europe in areas of distribution of fields with dry herbs and wormwood or in multitraffic, but today the steppes are gradually turning into fields, and the population of animals is reduced. You can also meet this amazing animal in the Volga region, rarely in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the south of the Urals. So, the habitat can be considered a terrain located from the Urals to the Irtysh.
Nutrition and feed behavior
Baybaki eat plants, their leaves. Usually these are various cereals. In the spring they use bulbs, and in the summer there are more colors and leaves in their diet. They do not drink water, as they get it from parts of plants. Surks have no habit of making any stocks, because they hibernate.
How screaming a hazard baibak
Lifestyle
Usually baibaki live in colonies consisting of many families. It is important to note that usually they do not conflict with each other. Each cell of their society lives in the territory that they fiercely protect and defend. To fix the earth, they leave traces from a very odorous fluid. The glands that produce it are located on the walrus and paws of the animals. It happens that the area on which one family lives reaches 6 g.
The burrows of these steppe inhabitants are temporary and constant. The former have only one entrance, there animals spend the night and hide in the event of an attack. Usually there are a lot of such ninges, about 10. Constant holes are divided into winter and summer. The latter are used during the period of birth and nursing offspring. There may be 10 and 15 outputs. There are special restrooms there. At a small depth there is a camera that somewhat resembles a nest: the floor there is covered with grass and a rag. In the winter burrows, the main residential «room» located in a layer of soil that does not freeze. They can use these dwellings for many years.
All moves along with snops can reach 60 meters. During the construction of a permanent hole, animals throw out the soil to the surface and therefore mounds are created next to them, which can be meter. Also, next to their dwelling, you can find «observation post», where the animals follow what is happening from the outside. The soil and flora in these places are distinguished by its diversity, therefore baibaki are very important for biocenosis of the steppes.
Office
The female hatches animals for about a month, after which several babies are born, who at first do not see. The offspring appears somewhere in March, the female feeds the cubs with milk for 40 days, and they leave the parental home only the next year. It is curious that females with offspring and male are in different holes.
Hibernation
More kilograms of fat are gained by the summer of marmos, they try to equip dwellings for hibernation. Then, already in the fall, they gather in groups from 2 to 25 animals and the hibernation period begins. The whole family of baibakov closes in the hole with the help of a special mixture consisting of feces and earth. The temperature does not drop below zero, which is a normal condition for their existence. All processes in their body seem to freeze, the heartbeat becomes slower.
Then the animals awaken in March, that is, they sleep for about six months. After little fattening, they again begin to create holes and repair them, despite the frequent raids of foxes and dogs, chorea.
Human influence on appearance
To date, the number of species is more stable, however, in some areas it must be guarded, since the steppes are open and forestry work is underway. This was more noticeable in the 50s of the last century, because today they continue to re-enlimatize baibak. European subspecies reached a number of 210 thousand, and Kazakhstani – In 113. But this does not mean that the species stopped attracting the attention of hunters, because fat is often used as a medicine, folk healers, and meat is edible and popular among the Mongols.
