Ground squirrels often shade their head and back with their bushy tails. They are found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia. The Cape ground squirrel has black skin with a coat made of short stiff hairs.
Ground squirrels are generally active during the day. They are burrowing animals that dig and live in clusters of burrows averaging around 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) with 2-100 entrances.
Ground squirrels are generally active during the day. They are burrowing animals that dig and live in clusters of burrows averaging around 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) with 2-100 entrances.
By © Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2429056
Eekoring
Ground squirrels eat bulbs, fruits, grasses, herbs, insects and shrubs. The burrows of Cape ground squirrels are also used by meerkats and yellow mongooses.
When threatened by predators ground squirrels engage in mobbing behaviour. Several squirrels rush at the predator while using their bushy tails to block it. When perceiving something as a threat, ground squirrels will emit a whistle-like call as an alarm call.
Sources:
(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_ground_squirrel
(*) https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_cape_ground_squirrel.html
(*) https://animalia.bio/cape-ground-squirrel
(*) https://www.ewt.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/64.-Cape-Ground-Squirrel-Xerus-inauris_LC.pdf
(*) https://southafrica.co.za/cape-ground-squirrel.html
Sources:
(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_ground_squirrel
(*) https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_cape_ground_squirrel.html
(*) https://animalia.bio/cape-ground-squirrel
(*) https://www.ewt.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/64.-Cape-Ground-Squirrel-Xerus-inauris_LC.pdf
(*) https://southafrica.co.za/cape-ground-squirrel.html