Taurus ground squirrel

The Taurus ground squirrel (Spermophilus taurensis) is a species of rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae, placed in the ground squirrel genus Spermophilus. It is endemic to the Taurus Mountains of south-central Anatolia, which means that it occurs nowhere else. It was first identified as a distinct species, separate from the Asia Minor ground squirrel, in 2007, so it is a recently recognised member of the group. The article that describes it is short and rests on that recognition and on later study of its chromosomes in Turkey, and this entry records only the facts the source gives.