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With a total length of 34–45 cm and a weight of 325 g, this squirrel
has a longish coat with a white stripe along each side and sometimes
a white stripe down the centre of the back. The underparts are white
and the tail is quite bushy. It occupies the Atlas ranges in Morocco and
extends marginally into Algeria, from sea level to 4,000 m (13,123 ft).
Normally inhabiting rocky areas, it digs burrows, lives in colonies and
is diurnal. It eats mostly tree fruits and seeds.
Western Ground Squirrel (Xerus erythropus) This species occurs from
East Africa to the Atlantic (in Mauritania), in a belt that incorporates
much of the Sahel. An apparently
isolated relict population occurs
in Morocco inland from the town
of Agadir. It is larger than the
Barbary, has a fairly long, bushy
tail, fairly short, coarse coat with
white lateral stripes and very
short ears. The underparts are
white. It digs burrows, lives in
colonies and is diurnal.
GROUND SQUIRRELS
Fulvous Suslik (Spermophilus fulvus) This species is found only in
northern Iran. It has a total length of 28 cm, of which the short tail
is just 4 cm in length. The overall coat colour is pale grey. The animal
occupies flat areas with fine silt or clay soils in which it excavates
burrows. Little is known of this species.
Long-clawed Ground Squirrel (Spermophilopsis leptodactylus) With
a total length of 34 cm, this species is quite stocky and has a short,
well-haired tail that is partly black below and white above. The coat
is sandy to greyish-yellow in colour, and the winter coat is particularly
silky. This species lives in the sandy desert country in the Sarakhs area
of north-eastern Iran in small family groups in burrows. It is diurnal
and eats a wide variety of plants and some insects. Three to six pups
are dropped in April–May.
Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus)