Description

Activity patterns. The South African Ground Squirrel is diurnal and can tolerate high temperatures using behavioral thermoregulation that permit foraging when temperatures exceed 40 ° C. Individuals orient away from the sun and use their reflected tail to reduce absorption of the direct rays of the sun. When foraging or vigilant, individuals stand on their toes to increase heat loss and lessen heat gain and will lay outstretched and sparsely haired belly in close contact with shaded and moist earth. If temperatures are too high, they return to their burrows to cool.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Sciuridae

Genus: Xerus

Species: Geosciurus inauris (Zimmermann, 1780)