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Unstriped ground squirrel

species of mammal

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ1763595 ↗
Source-derived summary

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.

Description

The unstriped ground squirrel is brownish or tawny in color with a lighter colored front. As the name suggests the X. rutilus differs from other species of African ground squirrel by not having dorsal-running longitudinal white stripes. The eye is ringed with white hair (all hair being coarse in observed specimens). Their small head and body measure on average 225.8 millimetres (8.89 in) long with an average tail length of 172 mm (6.8 in). This tail is flat in appearance. Body weight varies across studies and habitats and ranges from 257.7 to 420 grams (9.09 to 14.82 oz).

Editorial summary

“Unstriped ground squirrel” enters the record as species of mammal. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Unstriped, ground and squirrel can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current 150-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Unstriped, ground and squirrel.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Unstriped ground squirrel” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Unstriped, ground and squirrel provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1763595. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Unstriped ground squirrel”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Unstriped ground squirrel primary sources, Unstriped ground squirrel archive and Unstriped research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Unstriped ground squirrel”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Unstriped ground squirrel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.