Cape ground squirrel

Cape ground squirrel
At Krugersdorp Game Reserve, South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Geosciurus
Species:
G. inauris
Binomial name
Geosciurus inauris
(Zimmerman, 1780)
Cape ground squirrel range
Synonyms

Xerus inauris

The Cape ground squirrel or South African ground squirrel[1][2] (Geosciurus inauris)[3] is found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia, including Etosha National Park.

The name Cape ground squirrel is somewhat misleading as it actually has a much wider area of habitation. This common name may have been arrived at to distinguish it from a tree squirrel (the eastern grey squirrel) found around Cape Town, which was imported from Europe by Cecil John Rhodes.

The species has also been known as the fan-tailed squirrel.

  1. ^ a b Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Xerus inauris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T23145A115167437. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. ^ Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 790. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

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