California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi), Pinnacles National Park, 2014.
A mother ground squirrel will chew on a shed rattlesnake skin and lick all over herself and her pups to disguise their scents and deter potential predators. NOTE: Formerly placed in Spermophilus (as Spermophilus beecheyi) it was reclassified in Otospermophilus in 2009.
U.S. National Park Service
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