210 Xerus rutilusgressive behavior is exhibited through scolding calls, threat-
ening lunges, chases, and occasional fi ghts. When threatened
by a superior member, subordinate individuals vocalize and
piloerect their tails. Males also exhibit piloerection of the
tail during sexual displays when approaching females. Al-
though their life expectancy is not known in the wild, a
wild-caught male survived 6 years and 56 days in captivity.
Xerus rutilus is a host to the cestode Catenotaenia geosciuri and
various ectoparasites, including the fl ea Synosternus somali-
cus and the specialist tick Haemaphysalis calcarata.general references: Coe 1972; O’Shea 1976, 1991.