HistoryGal
source of the photo above: http://www.jaitoutcompris.com/animaux/le-xerus-51.php
As you can see from the picture above. a « xérus » (which is the name of a genus) is a small mammal or rodent who is a cousin to the North American or European family of squirrels or even chipmunks. But the « xérus » or African ground squirrel lives in the African savannah in Mauritania, Ouganda, Ethiopia and Sénégal mostly.
The « xérus » contrary to our common squirrels is a land base mammal only (it does not go up trees or even take refuge in trees or shrubs) although it can stand at attention on his hind legs whenever he sniffs or just to look around and even while he or she is eating.
<a data-snax-placeholder="Source" class="snax-figure-source" href="https://www.kunst-fuer-alle.de/english/fine-art/artist/image/frank-stober-(f1-online)/12043/1/272126/(xerus-inauris)-erdhoernchen-etosha-nationalpark/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.kunst-fuer-alle.de/english/fine-art/artist/image/frank-stober-(f1-online)/12043/1/272126/(xerus-inauris)-erdhoernchen-etosha-nationalpark/index.htm</a>
This little critter weighs between 800 to 900 grams (1-2 pounds) and measures 22 to 27 cm (9 to 11 inches). Its tail is almost as long as its body measuring from 18 cm to 28 cm (7 to 11 inches). The ears of a « xérus » are so small that you would think he or she had none unless you look closer. The claws of the back feet of this little African squirrel are long and curved. The fur is quite thick and prickly and is almost the color of sand so the « xérus » can be very hard to distinguish from afar.
The African ground squirrel lives alongside his own species companion and sleeps at night in burrows that he and they have dug. The den has several galleries throughout so the colony is not cramped one on top of the other. They rarely go very far away from their den and usually run back into it at any sign of danger. In fact the « xérus » has a very strong sense of smell which he or she uses to sniff to detect predators. It will even sniff excrement to make sure that predators are not nearby.
The African ground squirrel is an herbivore and eats any types of grain, shoots, roots and corn. With this type of diet, the « xérus » usually lives around 10 years.
The reproduction of the « xérus » can go on anytime during the year but the female usually gives birth only once a year to one or two little ones.
Being small does not mean that the « xérus » is totally defenseless. If confronted, it lifts up its tail, takes his claws out and makes very strident hissing sounds probably to warn the den and maybe give himself some time to flee.
The word xérus comes from the latin xerus which actually was borrowed from the Greek.
See you soon for the letter Y in French I hope because as you may have noticed the past three or four presentations of my crazy alphabet animals were mostly English.
Wow! Learned something new about a critter. I share this on social media and hope it brings more views to the site.
All I can say is a big thank you for visiting and commenting and up voting. It took me a while to find this French version of this little animal…
color me impressed. you knew an animal that begins with X
I had to look high and low to find it especially in French as most of the x animals in French are simply the same as the ones in English except for this little critter which differs in the spelling with the accent on the letter e. Thanks for viewing, commenting and up voting.
you’re most welcome. the only animals I know that begin with X are from South American mythology
I met another interesting animal. Thanks for your lessons.
I enjoyed finding some of these different animals along with their names. As always thank you for your visit and comment and up vote.
Oh, hi cutie! Xerus sounds like a name for some big majestic animal.
I suppose he could have been named after the great Xerxes. But I do not know if he could rise to the high level of challenge. Thanks for dropping in and commenting and up voting.
You find such cool critters. Thanks for the smiles and the information.
I am happy I found all these known and little known animals. Again a big thanks for your visit and comment and up vote.
I need to do an animal challenge, since I love all animals.
beautiful animal on the earth.
Yes there are tons of beautiful animals on earth. It is too bad we are displacing most of them with our trespassing on their property. Thanks for visiting and commenting and up voting.
Awe, they are cute. They look like our Prairie dogs!
Yes they do look like your own Canadian prairie dogs when standing up. And what is this about Doc’s dog… he better not run to Africa to try to catch these… Thank you Kim and Doc for visiting and commenting and up voting.
my dog says you can also put these under the letter H
(he wants to catch a squirrel and calls them “have thats”)
lol, how long is that Have that list?
squirrels, rabbitts, groundhogs, deer and cats. But that is only what he has seen so far.
Hey Doc stop your doggy from running or swimming to Africa. He will be pooped out before trying to run after the xerus. Just a joke… As always thanks for dropping in and commenting and up voting.
that was awesome – made me laugh outloud.
🙂