This ground squirrel occurs in Mongolia and nearby parts of China. The paper describes appearance and daytime behaviour for the genus as a whole.
The paper does not give a coat colour for this species. Across the genus, the fur is usually longer and less sleek than in most other ground squirrels.
Species of Spermophilus are generally diurnal and use open plains and steppes. The genus eats seeds, shoots, stems, leaves, tubers, and fruit; many species retreat to underground dens during the hottest part of the day.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.