Cape ground squirrel

The Cape ground squirrel, also known as the South African ground squirrel or fan-tailed squirrel, is a burrowing squirrel of the drier parts of southern Africa. It occurs through South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia, including Etosha National Park, and is absent from the Namibian coast and the northwest. The animals prefer open veld and grassland with hard ground and also use scrub along pans and floodplains. Adults have a cinnamon back, a white face and belly and a white stripe along each flank, and weigh roughly 420 to 650 grams, with males slightly heavier than females. They are active by day, do not hibernate and live in burrow clusters shared with meerkats and yellow mongooses. They eat bulbs, fruits, grasses, herbs and insects, and rarely need to drink. Females live in small groups while males form separate bachelor groups. The name Cape may have been chosen to distinguish it from the eastern grey squirrel around Cape Town.