Mountain ground squirrel

The mountain ground squirrel, Geosciurus princeps, also known as the Kaoko ground squirrel or the Damara ground squirrel, is a rodent native to southwestern Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. It is restricted to a narrow band of the arid southwest of Africa, from southern Angola to southern Namibia and as far south as Richtersveld National Park. It is the closest relative of the Cape ground squirrel and so similar in appearance that the two are difficult to tell apart in the field. It is a large-bodied squirrel with small ears, a head and body length of 23 to 29 centimetres, a tail of 21 to 28 centimetres and a weight of 490 to 710 grams. The body is covered in short, pale cinnamon brown hair that turns white on the belly and face, with a white stripe from shoulders to hips and long bushy tails. It is strictly diurnal and builds burrows in areas with sparse cover. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern.