Ground Squirrels

picture info	Ground Squirrels Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents ( Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots (genus ''Marmota'') or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as chipmunks (genus ''Tamias''). Together, they make up the "marmot tribe" of squirrels, Marmotini, a division within the large and mainly ground squirrel subfamily Xerinae, and containing six living genera. Well-known members of this largely Holarctic group are the marmots (''Marmota''), including the American groundhog, the chipmunks, the susliks (''Spermophilus''), and the prairie dogs (''Cynomys''). They are highly variable in size and habitus, but most are remarkably able to rise up on their hind legs and stand fully erect comfortably for prolonged periods. They also tend to be far more gregarious than other squ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Rupelian The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage (part of the Eocene) and is followed by the Chattian Stage. Name The stage is named after the small river Rupel in Belgium, a tributary to the Scheldt. The Belgian Rupel Group derives its name from the same source. The name Rupelian was introduced in scientific literature by Belgian geologist André Hubert Dumont in 1850. The separation between the group and the stage was made in the second half of the 20th century, when stratigraphers saw the need to distinguish between lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic names. Stratigraphic definition The base of the Rupelian Stage (which is also the base of the Oligocene Series) is at the extinction of the foraminiferan genus ''Hantkenina''. An official GSSP for the base of the Rupelian has been assigned in 1992 (Massignano, Italy). The transitio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Ictidomys ''Ictidomys'' is a North American genus of rodent in the squirrel family, which contains the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, the Mexican ground squirrel, and the Rio Grande ground squirrel. These species were included in the species-rich ground squirrel genus ''Spermophilus'' until molecular data showed that this genus was not a natural, monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ... grouping. References * * Rodent genera Taxa named by Joel Asaph Allen {{ground-squirrel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormice. Etymology The word ''squirrel'', first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman which is from the Old French , the reflex of a Latin word , which was taken from the Ancient Greek word (; from ) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have. The native Old English word for the squirrel, , survived only into Middle English (as ) before being replaced. The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Subtribes And Genera Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...). The early use of this word is from 19th century. An example of subtribe is Hyptidinae that contains approximately 400 accepted species distributed in 19 genera. References Botanical nomenclature Plant taxonomy Zoological nomenclature {{Botany-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Urocitellus ''Urocitellus'' is a genus of ground squirrels. They were previously believed to belong to the much larger genus ''Spermophilus'', but DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene showed that this group was paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots, and could therefore no longer be retained as a single genus. As a result, ''Urocitellus'' is now considered as a genus in its own right. All but two species are native to the northern and western parts of North America, from California and Minnesota through the north-western United States and western Canada; the Arctic ground squirrel inhabits Arctic terrain on both sides of the Bering Strait, while the long-tailed ground squirrel is exclusively found in Asia. The name of the genus is said to be derived from the Latin ''uro'', meaning "tail" and ''citellus'' for "ground squirrel". The proper word for "tail" in classical Latin is ''cauda''.Lewis, C.T. & Short, C. (1879). ''A Latin dictionary founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Tamias ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", which is a reference to the animals' role in plant dispersal through their habit of collecting and storing food for winter use. The genus ''Tamias'' was formerly divided into three subgenera that, in sum, included all chipmunk species: ''Tamias'', the eastern chipmunk and other fossil species; ''Eutamias'', of which the Siberian chipmunk (''E. sibiricus'') is the only living member; and ''Neotamias'', which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western, species. These classifications are subjective, and most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks in a single genus. However, studies of mitochondrial DNA show that the divergence between each of the three chipmunk groups is comparable to the genetic di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Nototamias ''Nototamias'' is a genus of fossil ground squirrels from the Miocene of North America. Species include ''Nototamias hulberti'' Pratt and Morgan, 1989; ''Nototamias ateles'' (Hall, 1930); and ''Nototamias complicatus'' Korth, 1992. Although the genus, characterized by fused roots on the lower cheekteeth, is often regarded as closely related to the chipmunks, and ''N. ateles'' has even been regarded as a species of ''Tamias ''Tamias'' is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus''). The genus name ''Tamias'' ( el, ταμίας) means "treasurer", "steward", ...'', evidence for this relationship is poor and ''Nototamias'' may instead be near the origin of the Marmotini.Goodwin, 2008, p. 356 References Literature cited Goodwin, H.T. 2008. Sciuridae. Pp. 255–376 in Janis, C.M., Gunnell, G.F. and Uhen, M.D. (eds.). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR:* [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Neotamias ''Neotamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It contains 23 species, which mostly occur in western North America. Along with ''Eutamias'', this genus is often considered a subgenus of ''Tamias''. Species Alpine chipmunk, ''Neotamias alpinus'' Yellow-pine chipmunk ''Neotamias amoenus'' Buller's chipmunk, ''Neotamias bulleri'' Gray-footed chipmunk, ''Neotamias canipes'' * Gray-collared chipmunk, ''Neotamias cinereicollis'' Cliff chipmunk, ''Neotamias dorsalis'' Durango chipmunk, ''Neotamias durangae'' Merriam's chipmunk, ''Neotamias merriami'' Least chipmunk, ''Neotamias minimus'' California chipmunk, ''Neotamias obscurus'' Yellow-cheeked chipmunk, ''Neotamias ochrogenys'' Palmer's chipmunk, ''Neotamias palmeri'' Panamint chipmunk, ''Neotamias panamintinus'' Long-eared chipmunk, ''Neotamias quadrimaculatus'' Colorado chipmunk, ''Neotamias quadrivittatus'' Red-tailed chipmunk, ''Neotamias ruficaudus'' Hopi chipmunk, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
	Eutamias ''Eutamias'' is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It includes a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk (''Eutamias sibiricus''). The genus is often treated as a subgenus of ''Tamias'', which is now restricted to the eastern chipmunk of North America. ''Neotamias'', which now includes the western North American chipmunks, has also been included in ''Eutamias''. In addition to the Siberian chipmunk, several fossil species have been assigned to this genus: '' Eutamias ertemtensis'' Qiu, 1991 – late Miocene to Pliocene of China '' Eutamias lishanensis'' Qiu et al., 2008 – late Miocene of China '' Eutamias orlovi'' Sulimski, 1964 – Pliocene of Poland and Bulgaria '' Eutamias sihongensis'' Qiu and Long, 1986 – early Miocene of China;Qiu et al., 2008, p. 115 subsequently made the type species of a separate genus '' Heterotamias''. '' Eutamias wimani'' (Young, 1927) – Pleistocene of ChinaSulimksi, 1964, p. 168; Qiu et a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR:* [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]