Xerus rutilus
| Unstriped ground squirrel | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Xerus |
| Subgenus: |
Xerus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 |
| Species: | X. rutilus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Xerus rutilus (Cretzschmar, 1828) |
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The unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a species of rodent (order Rodentia) in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The unstriped ground squirrel is brownish or tawny in color with a lighter colored front. As the name suggests the X. rutilus differs from other species of African ground squirrel by not having dorsal-running longitudinal white stripes. The eye is ringed with white hair (all hair being coarse in observed specimens). Their small head and body measure on average 225.8 millimetres (8.89 in) long with an average tail length of 172 mm (6.8 in). This tail is flat in appearance. Body weight varies across studies and habitats and ranges from 257.7 to 420 grams (9.09 to 14.82 oz). The length of the hind foot is 35–49 mm with a braincase measuring only 24–25 mm. The length of the mandible is variable in the range of 31.0 to 33.9 mm.
Xerus rutilus is a member of the Xerini tribe, but differs from its sister group Xerus daamsi. Both are separate and distinct from the North American equivalent Atlantoxerus.Vibrissae (whiskers) length and brain size are both smaller than arboreal squirrels of the region, but are similar to other terrestrial squirrels.
No significant sexual dimorphism is noted in X. rutilus.
The unstriped ground squirrel is endemic to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea and Uganda and probably extant in Somalia. Its natural habitats include dry (arid) savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Populations occupy many overlapping regions with its sister group, the striped ground squirrel (X. erythropus), in northeastern Africa.X. rutilus dig and occupy burrows in generally arid conditions.
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