On a recent roadtrip in California I stopped to see some elephant seals.

But, I also got a lot of close encounters with some California ground squirrels. Apparently these cheeky little guys are very common along a good portion of the California coast, as well as up towards Oregon and even Washington state now.

Despite numerous “do not feed” signs at the elephant seal viewing area I was at, it seems these little critters are quite familiar with humans, and likely, foodstuffs provided by us.

A little darker brown in colour than some other ground squirrels I have seen in the US, in places like Wyoming, these California ground squirrels are not endangered at all, and to some they are considered pests.

I was actually surprised at how thick their coats of fur seemed to be. I mean, it was really windy there, but it was warm and sunny. You’d think California squirrels would be happier in a more slimming outfit, but I guess not.