10½-14 inches long; tail about 4-6 inches long.

Back is various shades of brown and gray; underneath the fur is light to dark orange. Short tufts of dark fur on ear tips.

Conifer forests, but sometimes found in mixed forests also.

Eats seeds from conifer cones, including Douglas-fir, true firs, spruce, and pines. Also eats truffles (fungi dug from the forest floor), mushrooms, and berries.

Holds Douglas-fir cones with its forefeet, cuts off the scales, eats the seeds, and discards the core like an old corn cob.