Unstriped ground squirrel

The unstriped ground squirrel, Xerus rutilus, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae. It lives in dry savanna and tropical or subtropical dry shrubland in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The fur is brownish or tawny with a lighter front, and unlike other African ground squirrels it has no white stripes running along the back; the eye is ringed with white hair. The head and body average about 226 millimetres long, the flat tail about 172 millimetres, and body weight ranges from about 258 to 420 grams. It is active by day and omnivorous, eating leaves, baobab fruit, seeds of Commiphora and Acacia trees, other plant material and insects, and it copes with tannins and oxalates that deter other animals. It is mostly solitary, living in burrows where one or two adults share overlapping home areas, and it cools off in shade after foraging. A dominance hierarchy places males above females and younger animals.