The Xerus are known to live in open areas, especially woodland, desert, or grassland. Females, on the other hand, usually live in a group of one to four along with their offspring.Ĭlose-up of Xerus eating a seed Xerus Habitat Adult males form their groups that have around 19 to 20 members each. The Xerus is known to be a social animal who lives in groups. These squirrels use their tails as protection from the scorching heat. However, the size of the squirrel usually and mostly depends on the subspecies in question as all four could have some differences.
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The tail is about 7.5 to 10.2 inches long, making it approximately one-third of the Xerus’ full length.
Their height can be anywhere between 17 to 18 inches, excluding the tail. However, these claws do not allow the creature to climb trees. The ears of the animal are usually small and the claws are long and curved. The tail is usually flat and is a darker shade than the body fur. In the case of the striped ground squirrel, the body has a white stripe running on both sides and shoulders. While the pads of their feet have minimum to no hair, the foot itself has some hair. However, their feet have relatively lesser hair than the rest of their bodies. However, it can also be found in reddish-grey or yellowish-grey fur. These squirrels are covered in fur from head to toe which is often the light-brownish color of the soil. Finally, the unstriped ground squirrel (scientific name: Xerus rutilus) can be found in the grasslands, woodlands, and rocky areas of the northeastern areas of both Sudan and Tanzania. The mountain ground squirrel (scientific name: Xerus Princeps) lives in the western region of South Africa and Namibia, as well as the southwestern side of Angola. See all of our entertaining and insightful animal articles. The striped ground squirrel (scientific name: Xerus erythropus), however, is found primarily in the southwestern area of Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. The first, the cape ground squirrel (scientific name: Xerus inauris), primarily lives in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, seeking out drier areas to call home. They come from the Mammalia animal class. The female Xerus live in groups of one to four with their babies, also known as pups.Ĭommonly known as the Xerus, these animals go by the scientific name of Xerus erythropus and belong to the family Sciuridae and phylum Chordate.The males and females have multiple mating partners. These squirrels mate throughout the year, rather than during a single season.They don’t live in trees, creating more comfortable habitats in burrows in the desert.Instead, they go out hunting for food daily and don’t keep steady storage. These squirrels are not known to hide food like other squirrels.These groups often consist of about 20 members each.
These animals are diurnal and are usually known to be herbivores in nature and usually eat nuts, roots, and seeds. The Xerus has four subspecies – cape ground squirrel, striped ground squirrel, mountain ground squirrel, and unstriped ground squirrel. The males and females live in their separate groups and come together to mate after which the babies live with their mothers in the group of females. They can survive in captivity for about 11.5 years. They have coarse and short hair and are known to be social animals. Xerus erythropus which is commonly known as African ground squirrel and is native to Africa. A Xerus uses its fluffy tail as shade from the sunlight in Africa.