Ecosystem Role: There are some ecological significance associated with them for instance they turn the soil when digging and providing food for other animals such as eagles and coyotes.
Indicator Species: They can be used to measure shift in environmental conditions since their occurrence or absence can be signs of change in environmental conditions.
Hibernation Behavior: These animals sleep for up as much as eight months in a year and hence are advantageous in researching about hibernation and the impacts on physiology.