Xerus inauris
Silhouette: Joseph Smit · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Cape ground squirrel or South African ground squirrel (Geosciurus inauris) is found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia, including Etosha National Park.
The name Cape ground squirrel is somewhat misleading as it actually has a much wider area of habitation. This common name may have been arrived at to distinguish it from a tree squirrel (the eastern grey squirrel) found around Cape Town, which was imported from Europe by Cecil John Rhodes.
The species has also been known as the fan-tailed squirrel. The Cape ground squirrel has black skin with a coat made of short stiff hairs without underfur. The fur is cinnamon on the back while the face, underbelly, sides of neck and ventral sides of limbs are white. The sides of its body each have a white stripe that stretches from the shoulders to the thighs. The eyes are fairly large and have white lines around them. The pinnae are small. The tail is flattened on the back and underside and is covered with white hair and two black bands at the base. The Cape ground's sexual dimorphism is subtle. Males usually weigh 423–649 grams (0.933–1.431 lb), 8 to 12... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Ground Squirrel sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on a given day, based on 137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 28 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Ground Squirrel in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on a given day, against about 40% in January and November, the lowest months. That is one of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park's wettest months, with about 35 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cape Ground Squirrel sightings, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park ranks 2nd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 50%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Cape Ground Squirrel that you can see in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Cape Four-striped Grass Mouse (about 30%), Springhare (about 10%) and Black-tailed Tree Rat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Ground Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (137 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
