This genus of African ground squirrels includes a single
species, found north of the Saharan Desert.
Atlantoxerus getulus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Barbary Ground Squirrel
description: This is a striped ground squirrel, with a
stripe on each fl ank and sometimes one down the middle of
the back. The tail is bushy.
distribution: This species is endemic to the Middle and
High Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, occurring
through Western Sahara, Morocco, and northwestern Alge-
ria. It was introduced in the Canary Islands of Spain: to
Fuerteventura in 1965, Gran Canaria in 1996, and Lanzarote
in 2006. The latter two populations appear to have been suc-
cessfully removed.
size: Sex not stated—HB 174 mm; T 133 mm (n = 37).
geographic variation: None.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.
habitat: In its native African range, the Barbary ground
squirrel lives at elevations between 150 and 4000 m in rocky
a rea s of a lpine meadows, forest s, a nd deser t s, such a s t he At la s
Mountains, argan (Argania spinosa) forests, and the Sahara
Desert in Morocco and Algeria. On Fuerteventura (Canary
Islands, Spain), this species thrives in rocky habitats as well
as in semidesert scrublands and woodlands.natural history: Most observations of A. getulus have
been conducted on Fuerteventura, where the animal is con-
sidered to be an invasive species, and these reports may notSubfamily Xerinae Osborn, 1910
This subfamily includes three tribes: the Xerini, the Protoxerini, and the Marmotini.
Tr ib e Xe r in i Osborn, 1910
This tribe contains three genera.
Atlantoxerus Forsyth Major, 1893