As would be expected, the majority of differences between male and female Richardson's ground squirrel behaviour relate to reproduction. Sexes differ in behaviours related to male's intrasexual competition for mates, the male-biased operational sex ratio, and the sexual difference between the effective length of the mating season.
During the mating season, male ground squirrels move longer distances, occupy larger ranges, engaged in more injury-producing fights, feed less, lose more body weight, and spend less time on burrow maintenance than females. Males are less sedentary than females and shift their home ranges on a daily basis during the mating season in relation to daily changes in the availability of estrous females. (see Reproductive Behaviour)
Adult male ground squirrels immerge into hibernation earlier than adult females, whereas juvenile males immerge later than juvenile females. All male ground squirrels emerge from hibernation earlier than females, regardless of age. The timing of hibernation is based on different criteria, with females timing their emergence in spring to coincide with vegetative growth during lactation and males timing their emergence to coincide with what the females are doing. (see Reproductive Behaviour and Hibernation)
Male Richardson's ground squirrels disperse more often and further than females (see Dispersal), form no lasting social bonds, and take no part in offspring care. Also, males show little fidelity to burrows during the mating season. In contrast, females usually settle near their female kin and form life-long social bonds with their closest relatives such as mother, sisters, aunts, and nieces.
Male ground squirrels show a tendency
to cache large amounts of food in the hibernaculum, whereas females do
not. Males spend less time in the physiological state of torpor during
hibernation than females. (see Hibernation)