The Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel adapts to the Montane Shrublands with its independence and fending itself from its predators such as the  hawks, jays, weasels, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. The animal is small, about as big as an average sized foot so it lives in the rocks and digs burrows in the dirt. It is also known to store some food in its burrow, like the chipmunk, for consumption upon waking in the spring. It eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and underground fungi.  A Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel digs its own burrow, which can extend for 100 feet, usually with an entrance near a log or boulder.  Its home range is one or two acres. Within this range, the squirrels are preyed on by hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. The Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel has a thick golden coat to keep itself warm during the winter and to reflect the light away in the summer. That is how the Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel  adapts to its habitat in the Montane Shrublands.