Xerus erythropus are omnivorous. The diet consists of palm nuts, banana, pawpaw, seeds, pods, grains, yams and other roots, insects, small vertebrates, and bird’s eggs. Foods such as nuts and seeds are often stored around the burrows.
Animal Foods: mammals; amphibians; reptiles; eggs; insects
Plant Foods: roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food
Primary Diet: omnivore
The defense system of Xerus erythropus lies in their burrow structures. The burrows provide protection from predators when the alarm call has been heard. Geoffrey’s ground squirrels will often cautiously peep out of their burrows to search for the cause behind the alarm call. The main predators of Xerus erythropus are various carnivores such as raptorial birds and mongooses.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
The coarse fur covering its body identifies this species. The fur is frequently tinted the color of the soil in which the animal is found, creating an array of color from brownish to reddish grey to yellowish grey. The pads of the feet lack fur. A few sparse white hairs may occupy the area surrounding the foot. A white, or buff, stripe appears on both sides of the body running from the shoulders to the hind quarters. The total length of the body is between 203 to 463 mm with a tail length of 180 to 274 mm. The tail is somewhat flattened and usually a shade darker than the rest of the body. The ears are small. Claws are present, long and slightly curved, but climbing trees is nearly impossible for Xerus erythropus.
Range mass: 300 to 945 g.
Range length: 203 to 463 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Longevity of Xerus erythropus is limited by predation. Human disruption of habitats may also limit the lifespan, which averages 2 years in the wild.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 3 years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 6 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 2 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 6.0 years.
Geoffrey’s ground squirrels prefer open “savanna like” habitats. The climate in which they are found is dry. Africa’s open woodlands, grasslands, and rocky country are home to the majority of this species.
Range elevation: 1000 to 5000 m.
Average elevation: 3500 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; forest
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
Xerus erythropus prefer habitats that are fairly dry. Savanas of eastern Sudan and southwestern Kenya, southwestern Morocco, southern Mauritania and Senegal are the native homes of Geoffrey's ground squirrels.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Several predators of Xerus erythropus also share burrows with this species. Several mongoose species benefit from the burrows that have already been made by Geoffrey’s ground squirrels. In return, the mongooses offer protection from bird of prey and snakes that threaten the colony.
Xerus erythropus disperse seeds by caching their food. Stores are often forgotten and the seeds germinate.
Geoffrey’s ground squirrels serve as a host to ticks. It has also been discovered that Xerus erythropus are susceptible to trypanosomes in the blood and can carry rabies.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; creates habitat
Mutualist Species:
Geoffrey’s ground squirrels make good pets. They tame readily and are often kept in houses, analogous to house cats in South Africa. In some parts of Africa Xerus erythropus are hunted for their meat.
Positive Impacts: pet trade ; food
Farmers often try to protect their crops, such as yams, from Xerus erythropus. Open agricultural fields of roots and tubers are an extensive feeding ground for Geoffrey’s ground squirrels causing them to be classified as pests by farmers. As previously mentioned, Geoffrey's ground squirrels can be infected with trypanosomes and rabies.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (causes disease in humans , carries human disease); crop pest; causes or carries domestic animal disease
No special status was found for Xerus erythropus.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Vocalizations are an important form of communication. Squeaking and chirping indicate pleasure, protest and distress. A higher pitched chirping or chattering may suggest threats of higher alarm. Mating males and females communicate with one another through olfaction/phermones as well as vocalizations. Geoffrey’s ground squirrels have facial scent glands with which they mark their territory and their food.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Interest in the coexistence of Xerus erythropus with several mongoose species has lead to numerous studeis. The pairing is unique since the mongoose is also a predator of Geoffrey’s ground squirrels. This coexistence proves that protective habitats are more important than obtaining food. This may be attributed to the fact that mongooses have many sources of food that are abundant enough that they do not need to rely on Xerus erythropus for nourishment. Several studies have been conducted on this bizarre relationship, and many more are in progress.
Xerus erythropus live in social colonies. Within these colonies there are several females; males travel between colonies. Chirping and chattering vocalizatins are used by males to attract a mate. Defending mates is unknown in this species; most likely there is no defense of mates due to the fact that males never stay in one social colony for an extended period of time.
Mating System: polygynous
Breeding occurs year round, but is synchronized among the females of one particular social group. Gestation of Xerus erythropus is 64 to 78 days. The average litter number is about three young. Geoffroy’s ground squirrels have a high rate of litter loss with some 70% of all pregnancies failing to produce a litter. It is unknown when weaning occurs, but sexual maturity is attained at about one year.
Breeding interval: Female Xerus erthyropus breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Mating occurs throughout the year, but is often coordinated within social groups.
Range number of offspring: 2 to 6.
Average number of offspring: 3.
Range gestation period: 64 to 78 days.
Average time to independence: 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average number of offspring: 3.5.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 365 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 365 days.
Young are cared for by the female. Males do not invest time in parental care because it is uncertain which young are genetically related to them. The females in social groups dig elaborate burrows for raising young. A burrow for young consists of a nesting area with soft, dried grasses and several emergency exits. These burrows are usually deeper than standard burrows. Females protect their burrows aggressively. They provide food for their young and often instruct the young in collecting food and avoiding predators. Time to weaning is unknown, but at about 1 year both male and female young become independent and sexually mature.
Parental Investment: precocial ; female parental care ; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents; inherits maternal/paternal territory
The striped ground squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) is a species of squirrel native to Africa. It was first described by Geoffroy in 1803,[1][3] but the original publication may be unavailable, so that the binomial authority is today more often cited as "Desmarest, 1817".[2] There are six subspecies. It is a moderately large ground squirrel with sandy-brown or dark-brown fur with a white lateral stripe and whitish underparts. Adults live alone or in pairs in a simple burrow with a central nest, foraging, mostly on the ground, for seeds, nuts and roots, and caching excess food under stones. This is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Striped ground squirrels are moderately large ground squirrels, ranging from 22 to 29 centimetres (8.7 to 11.4 in) in length, with a tail that, at 19 to 26 centimetres (7.5 to 10.2 in), is nearly as long as the body. Adults weigh between 0.5 and 1 kilogram (1.1 and 2.2 lb). They have a coat of short, bristly fur, and are pale sandy to dark brown across most of the body, with whitish, nearly hairless, underparts. A narrow stripe of pure white fur runs down the flanks from the shoulders to the hips. The tail has hairs much longer than those on the body, which fan out to the sides, and are multi-coloured along their length, presenting a grizzled appearance. The ears are small, and the muzzle long, with a projecting, almost pointed, nose. The limbs are pale, with large feet and long, straight, claws. They can be distinguished from the otherwise similar Cape and mountain ground squirrels by the fact that female striped ground squirrels possess three pairs of teats, rather than just two.[3]
Striped ground squirrels are found across Africa south of the Sahara and north of the tropical rainforest. They are found from the Atlantic coast in the west to Ethiopia and Kenya in the east, being absent in the Horn of Africa. They inhabit open or disturbed forests and savannah country, often near cultivated land, and, at the extremes of their range, coastal scrubland and semidesert regions.[2][4] Fossils attributed to the species have been identified from Pliocene Ethiopia.[3]
Six subspecies are currently recognised:[3]
Striped ground squirrels are diurnal herbivores, and spend almost their entire lives on the ground, although are capable of climbing into bushes to reach food. They eat a range of seeds, nuts, and roots, and can be an agricultural pest, eating crops such as cassava, yams, cotton bolls, peanuts, and sweet potatoes.[4] They may occasionally supplement their diet with eggs, insects, and other small animals. Their predators include servals, jackals, birds of prey, and common puff adders.[3]
They forage throughout home ranges of about 12 hectares (30 acres) in semi-arid terrain, but their ranges overlap and they make frequent forays into surrounding areas in search of food. They mark their territories using scent glands on their cheeks, which they rub onto stones and tree trunks, although they do not appear to defend them from intruders.[4]
The squirrels spend the night in burrows, which they dig with their large claws. Their burrows are usually simple in structure, with a central nest less than a metre below the surface, a single entrance tunnel, and a few blind-ending tunnels that almost reach the surface. The latter are used as escape routes, allowing the squirrel to rapidly break through to the surface; the main entrance tunnel is often also blocked with a temporary pile of dirt at night.[4] Burrows may also contain caches of food, although these are more commonly located some distance away and concealed beneath stones or dead leaves. They also bury their urine, but not their dung.[3]
Striped ground squirrels live alone, or in pairs, and greet other members of their species by sniffing each other nose-to-nose. They move with a jumping gait, frequently pausing to sniff or look around, and making longer leaps when they need to move more quickly. They normally hold their tail horizontally when moving, or upright when still, and can fluff it up into a "bottle-brush" when alarmed. They can make a chattering sound, similar to that of other squirrels.[3]
Courtship consists of chasing behaviour, and litters are of two to six young. They can live for up to six years in captivity.[3]
The striped ground squirrel is a common species throughout most of its wide range. It is an adaptable species and no particular threats have been identified, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".[2]
The striped ground squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) is a species of squirrel native to Africa. It was first described by Geoffroy in 1803, but the original publication may be unavailable, so that the binomial authority is today more often cited as "Desmarest, 1817". There are six subspecies. It is a moderately large ground squirrel with sandy-brown or dark-brown fur with a white lateral stripe and whitish underparts. Adults live alone or in pairs in a simple burrow with a central nest, foraging, mostly on the ground, for seeds, nuts and roots, and caching excess food under stones. This is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
