Tag squirrel

CREATURE FEATURE: European Ground Squirrel

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The European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is a rodent mammal in the Sciuridae family of squirrels. It is also known as the European Souslik.

The European Ground Squirrel has a slender body with a short, bushy tail. Its short fur is yellowish-grey, flecked with black hair. Its underside is pale. It has large, dark eyes and small, rounded ears. It has short feet with sharp claws for digging. It has strong, gnawing teeth. It has a small nose with whiskers. 

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Smith’s Bush Squirrel

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The Smith’s Bush Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) is also called the Tree Squirrel or the Yellow-Footed Squirrel. It is a common African bush squirrel – it is a rodent mammal.

The Smith’s Bush Squirrel has pale grey to brown short fur. Its head and legs are a rusty colour. It has large dark eyes, small ears, and short, black whiskers. Its chest varies from yellowish to buff or white. Its belly is white, and its feet are yellowish. Its tail is long and bushy.

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Eastern Grey Squirrel

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The Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is an arboreal (tree) rodent mammal native to North America and Europe. It is considered to be an invasive species in Great Britain where it has displaced the red squirrel.

The Eastern Grey Squirrel has grey-brown fur with white fur on its underbelly. It has a large bushy tail. It has four toes on its front feet and five toes on its back (hind) feet.

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Unstriped Ground Squirrel

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The Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a rodent mammal of the Sciuridae family.

It is from eastern Africa, in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Tanzania, Uganda, and Eritrea. It lives in hot dry shrublands. It is diurnal, so it is active during the day.

It is brown and furry with a white stomach and a bushy tail with black and white fur. There is a white line around their eyes. It has big white feet, with five toes. It has small triangular ears and a brown nose.

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Indian Palm Squirrel

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There are three types of squirrels in Sri Lanka – palm squirrels, flying squirrels and giant squirrels. The most common is the Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) with three distinctive stripes on its back.

It is a brown furry rodent mammal in the Sciuridae family with a white stomach and a bushy tail with black and white fur. It has three stripes; the two outer stripes stretch from the forelegs to the hind legs, whereas the middle stripe runs from head to tail.

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