Texas antelope squirrel

The Texas antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus interpres, is a ground-dwelling rodent of the family Sciuridae found in western Texas, south central New Mexico and northern Mexico, including the Chihuahuan Desert. Adults reach about 220 to 235 millimetres in length and weigh roughly 99 to 112 grams. A white stripe runs along each side of the body, edged above and below with black markings, the rest of the fur is grey with black or brown markings, and the underside of the tail is white. It stays active all year and does not hibernate. It nests in burrows or rock crevices, usually close to bushes or shrubs, and eats insects, seeds and berries, including the fruit and seeds of several cactus species; one animal collected in 1905 had eaten so much prickly pear fruit that its flesh was tinted purple. Breeding begins in February, with one or two litters of five to fourteen young each year. The IUCN lists it as least concern, and it is accidentally trapped or poisoned in the United States while being eaten in parts of Mexico.