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Spermophilus
''Spermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrels in the Sciuridae, squirrel family. As traditionally defined the genus was very species-rich, ranging through Europe, Asia and North America, but this arrangement was found to be paraphyletic to the certainly distinct prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels. As a consequence, all the former ''Spermophilus'' species of North America have been moved to other genera, leaving the European and Asian species as true ''Spermophilus'' (the only exceptions are two Asian ''Urocitellus''). Some species are sometimes called susliks (or sousliks). This name comes from Russian :ru:Суслики, суслик, ''suslik''. In some languages, a derivative of the name is in common usage, for example ''suseł'' in Polish. The scientific name of this genus means "seed-lovers" (gr. σπέρμα ''sperma'', genitive σπέρματος ''spermatos'' – seed; φίλος ''philos'' – friend, lover). Habitat and behavior As typical ground squirr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speckled Ground Squirrel
The speckled ground squirrel or spotted souslik (''Spermophilus suslicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae from Eastern Europe. ''Spermophilus suslicus'' consists of three subspecies: ''S. s. boristhenicus'', ''S. s. guttatus'', and ''S. s. suslicus.'' It is threatened by habitat loss. Description The speckled ground squirrel has dark-brown fur with white spots on its back and a short, thin tail. It grows to a length of and a weight of . Its dental formula is . It is smaller and less social than many other ground squirrels of the genus ''Spermophilus''. Distribution It is found in Belarus, Moldova, Poland, European Russia, and Ukraine. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland and it is also found on cultivated ground. It is threatened by the loss and fragmentation of its habitat. Causes of habitat loss include the expansion of agriculture and forestry, the reduction of pasturing, the development and growth of cities, and industrial development. Also, in some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Ground Squirrel
The European ground squirrel (''Spermophilus citellus''), also known as the European souslik, is a species from the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It is among the few European species in the genus ''Spermophilus''. Like all squirrels, it is a member of the rodent order. It is to be found in eastern Europe from southern Ukraine, to Asia Minor, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and north as far as Poland but the range is divided in two parts by the Carpathian Mountains. The European ground squirrel grows to a length of approximately and a weight of approximately . It is a diurnal animal, living in colonies of individual burrows in pastures or grassy embankments. The squirrels emerge during the day to feed upon seeds, plant shoots and roots or flightless invertebrates. The colonies maintain sentinels who whistle at the sight of a predator, bringing the pack scurrying back to safety. Breeding takes place in early summer when a sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poliocitellus
Franklin's ground squirrel (''Poliocitellus franklinii'') is a species of squirrel native to North America, and the only member of the genus ''Poliocitellus''. Due to the destruction of prairie, the populations of Franklin's ground squirrel have dwindled, approaching levels of concern. Its decline in the eastern portion of its range is mostly attributed to habitat fragmentation. Taxonomy Franklin's ground squirrel was first described by Joseph Sabine in 1822, who named it in honor of the British Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. It was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus ''Spermophilus'', in its own subgenus, ''Poliocitellus'', but since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene has shown ''Spermophilus'' to be paraphyletic it is now placed in its own genus. Franklin's ground squirrel is suggested to be sister to a clade containing not only the Mohave, round-tailed, spotted, and Perote ground squirrels (genus ''Xerospermophilus''), but the prairie dogs as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellow Ground Squirrel
The yellow ground squirrel (''Spermophilus fulvus'') is a large and sturdy ground squirrel species native to Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. It inhabits sandy steppes with Artemisia, glasswort and tamarisk. The yellow ground squirrel has naked soles on the hind feet excluding heels. It lives in large colonies, is strictly diurnal and forages mainly in the morning when the vegetation is still damp. Its diet includes bulbs, seeds, stems and leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh .... It hibernates, but it may also aestivate.Aulagnier S.; P. Haffner, A. J. Mitchell-Jones, F. Moutou & J. Zima (2009). ''Mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East'', A&C Black, London. References Spermophilus Mammals of Afgha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xerospermophilus
Pygmy ground squirrels are small ground squirrels in the genus ''Xerospermophilus'', family Sciuridae, containing four species from Mexico and the United States. The members of this genus were formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus ''Spermophilus''. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene has shown ''Spermophilus'' to be paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots, this group is now separated, along with six other genera. Within the genus, the Mohave ground squirrel and the round-tailed ground squirrel were thought to be close relatives, sometimes a subgenus ''Xerospermophilus'', while the spotted ground squirrel and the Perote ground squirrel were placed in the subgenus (now a genus) ''Ictidomys''. The name of the genus is a combination of the Greek word ''xeros'', "dry", and ''Spermophilus'', which also comes from Greek, meaning "seed lovers". Species The four species in ''Xerospermophilus'' are listed below. These are the same species that were previ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ground Squirrel
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 sq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notocitellus
''Notocitellus'' is a genus of ground squirrels, containing two species from Mexico. These species are the tropical ground squirrel (''Notocitellus adocetus''), and the ring-tailed ground squirrel (''N. annulatus''). ''Notocitellus'' was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus ''Spermophilus'', as a subgenus or species group. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene has shown ''Spermophilus'' to be paraphyletic to the marmots, antelope squirrel Antelope squirrels or antelope ground squirrels of the genus ''Ammospermophilus'' are sciurids found in the desert and dry scrub areas of south-western United States and northern Mexico. They are a type of ground squirrel and are able to resist ...s, and prairie dogs, it is now separated, along with six other genera. The exact relations of this genus are unclear, though a relation to the antelope squirrels is possible. References Rodent genera Taxa named by Arthur H. Howell {{ground-squ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otospermophilus
''Otospermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae, containing three species from Mexico and the United States. ''Otospermophilus'' was formerly placed in the large ground squirrel genus ''Spermophilus'', as a subgenus or species group. Since DNA sequencing of the cytochrome ''b'' gene has shown ''Spermophilus'' to be paraphyletic to the prairie dogs and marmots, it is now separated, along with six other genera. Species The three species in ''Otospermophilus'' are listed below. These are the same species that were previously grouped in the subgenus ''Otospermophilus''. :* Rock squirrel, ''Otospermophilus variegatus'' :* California ground squirrel, ''Otospermophilus beecheyi'' :* Baja California rock squirrel The Baja California rock squirrel (''Otospermophilus atricapillus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja ... [...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] |
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] |
Sciuridae
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] |
Callospermophilus
''Callospermophilus'' is a genus of ground squirrel from North America. Etymology ''Callospermophilus'': gr. καλλος ''kallos'' – beauty, from καλος ''kalos'' – beautiful; genus '' Spermophilus'' F. Cuvier, 1825 Species The genus contains three species: * Golden-mantled ground squirrel The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States. ... (''C. lateralis'') * Sierra Madre ground squirrel (''C. madrensis'') * Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel (''C. saturatus'') References Rodents of North America Rodent genera Taxa named by Clinton Hart Merriam {{ground-squirrel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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