Tuesday 26 March 2013 The Unstriped Ground Squirrel - Africa's Little Survivor
The unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a member of the rodent family. Families and communities all live together in burrows and colonies in and around parts of Africa, like Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritea. They live in the dry Savanna, subtropical areas and shrub land. This ground squirrel is pretty much a vegetarian they love to eat roots, seeds, fruit, pods, grains, insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates. These squirrels will eat basically anything hanging in a tree or anything crawling around that is small enough to fit in their little mouths.The unstriped squirrel’s status is labeled as "little concern" because it is in abundance in the African areas; it is not on the verge of extinction.
The unstriped ground squirrel weighs about .6kg which is approximately 1.3 pounds. When measured length wise they can measure 10-12 inches long. These small animals are sometimes kept as pets, but most farmers see these animals as pest to their crops. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook