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Geoffrey's ground squirrel - XERUS ERYTHROPUS
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Squirrel": "Squirrel" comes from the Middle English word
"squyrel," which came from the Greek "skiouros" for the animal.
Notice that the family name for these animals is "Sciuridae," which
may also be the derivation of our word "scurry."
Location: Central Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Forest and scrub.
Description: The overall color of this species is reddish brown, but there is a conspicuous pale stripe along each side of the body. The tail is dark brown and bushy except near the base. Young squirrels have a patch of white at the tip of the tail. The general color of this ground squirrel often echoes that of the terrain in which it lives because particles of earth cling to the short, bristly coat. It has no undercoat. The squirrel is about two feet long, with half of that the tail, and it can weigh up to one and one half pounds.
Behavior: This species has adapted well to the life of a terrestrial (as opposed to arboreal) animal, both in the form of its body and in certain specific features like its small ears. It is active during daylight. It seems to be quite unafraid of people, since one may easily get close to its lair without the animal fleeing. Nevertheless it is constantly on the alert for possible enemies and is quick to take refuge in the burrow it digs in the driest available soft ground.
Reproduction: The number of young per litter probably does not exceed 2 since the female has only two nipples.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Squirrel Index to study other
squirrels.
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