Unstriped ground squirrel
Xerus rutilus (Cretzschmar, 1828)
The unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a species in the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 317 g to 317.5 g and live up to 7.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the unstriped ground squirrel
- Weight
- 317.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 7.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.97src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the unstriped ground squirrel live?
Not recorded
What is the unstriped ground squirrel?
The unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a species of rodent (order Rodentia) in the family Sciuridae. It is the only member of the genus Xerus. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
From the Wikipedia article “Unstriped ground squirrel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unstriped_ground_squirrel&oldid=1374907304), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the unstriped ground squirrel endangered?
The unstriped ground squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the unstriped ground squirrel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familySciuridae
- genusXerus
- SpeciesXerus rutilus (Cretzschmar, 1828)
Synonyms Sciurus rutilus
Other names and names in other languages (16)
- سنجاب الأرض غير المخططArabic
- Esquirol terrestre pàl·lidCatalan
- veverka šiluCzech
- SchlichtborstenhörnchenGerman
- Streifenloses BorstenhörnchenGerman
- Ungestreiftes BorstenhörnchenGerman
- Ardilla Terrestre LisaSpanish
- سنجاب زمینی بینوارهPersian
- itäafrikansavannioravaFinnish
- Écureuil fouisseur unicoloreFrench
- סנאי קרקע חלקHebrew
- Xero rossoItalian
- アラゲジリスJapanese
- Ongestreepte GrondeekhoornDutch
- afrowiórka gładkaPolish
- Рыжая земляная белкаRussian
Relatives of the unstriped ground squirrel
Other species in the same genus Xerus.
Striped ground squirrel
Xerus erythropus
Mountain ground squirrel
Xerus princeps
South African ground squirrel
Xerus inauris
CompareUnstriped ground squirrel vs Striped ground squirrelUnstriped ground squirrel vs Mountain ground squirrelUnstriped ground squirrel vs South African ground squirrel
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the unstriped ground squirrel?
An adult unstriped ground squirrel weighs 317.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the unstriped ground squirrel endangered?
The unstriped ground squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the unstriped ground squirrel live?
The unstriped ground squirrel has a recorded lifespan of 7.9 years.
What kind of animal is the unstriped ground squirrel?
The unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus) belongs to the family Sciuridae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/unstriped-ground-squirrel
“Unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/unstriped-ground-squirrel.
@misc{unstriped_ground_squirrel_2026,
title = {Unstriped ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/unstriped-ground-squirrel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}