Mexican ground squirrel

The Mexican ground squirrel, Ictidomys mexicanus, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae that is endemic to central Mexico, where it is found from Jalisco to Puebla. It is a small to medium-sized rodent with nine rows of white spots on its back and a body length of 32.2 to 38.0 centimetres. It typically occupies grasslands and brush habitats, where it is often associated with mesquite and nopal cactus, and it may be found up to 3,200 metres. It was historically considered to have two disjunct subspecies, one in central Mexico and one in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but in 2009 the northern population was reclassified as a distinct species, the Rio Grande ground squirrel, because of its smaller body size and geographic isolation. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern.