Xerus erythropus
Silhouette: Joseph Smit · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The striped ground squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) is a species of squirrel native to Africa. It was first described by Geoffroy in 1803, but the binomial authority is sometimes incorrectly cited as "Desmarest, 1817". There are six subspecies. It is a moderately large ground squirrel with sandy-brown or dark-brown fur with a white lateral stripe and whitish underparts. Adults live alone or in pairs in a simple burrow with a central nest, foraging, mostly on the ground, for seeds, nuts and roots, and caching excess food under stones. This is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Striped ground squirrels are moderately large ground squirrels, ranging from 22 to 29 centimetres (8.7 to 11.4 in) in length, with a tail that, at 19 to 26 centimetres (7.5 to 10.2 in), is nearly as long as the body. Adults weigh between 0.5 and 1 kilogram (1.1 and 2.2 lb). They have a coat of short, bristly fur, and are pale sandy to dark brown across most of the body, with whitish, nearly hairless, underparts. A narrow stripe of pure white fur runs down the flanks from the shoulders... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 2 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Ground Squirrel sighting in Kampala on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 7 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and June
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Striped Ground Squirrel in Kampala on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, August, October and December, the lowest months. Those are among Kampala's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in April.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Striped Ground Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Striped Ground Squirrel sightings, Kampala ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Striped Ground Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kampala (17 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
