The speckled ground squirrel has dark-brown fur with white spots on its back and a short, thin tail.

[4] Two populations separated geographically by the Dnieper River differ by diploid number, with those west of the Dnieper River, sometimes referred to as a sister species Spermophilus odessanus, having 36 chromosomes and those east, constituting Spermophilus suslicus sensu stricto, having 34.

[1][5][6] Recent molecular phylogenetic data indicate that Palearctic ground squirrels are a complex, diverse group due to extensive genetic introgression and incomplete lineage sorting since their recent speciation during the Pleistocene epoch and require multiple lines of evidence to distinguish their interpopulation relationships.

[1][8] The speckled ground squirrel's range in Poland and southern Russia has contracted markedly, with only 10% of its area in the mid-twentieth century currently remaining.

[9] Compared with other Spermophilus species, it lives in a relatively closed habitat with high grasses that block visibility during its active seasons.

[3] Though there have been no quantitative studies on all the predators of S. suslicus, the weasel Mustela nivalis has been known to enter burrows and cause significant juvenile mortality, though it does not attack adults.

Primarily, the alarm call is used to warn conspecific squirrels of predators and to alert predators that they've been detected [4] Individual-specific alarm calls have been seen in Spermophilus suslicus which also contain age-related features but they lack the ability to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar individuals nor can they distinguish sex.

According to the IUCN, habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion, as well as climate change, puts the entire species at risk of extinction in the next 20–30 years.