Mountain ground squirrel
Xerus princeps
The mountain ground squirrel is a rodent that is native to southwestern Angola, western Namibia, and western South Africa. It is also known as the Kaoko ground squirrel or the Damara ground squirrel.
It is the closest relative of the Cape ground squirrel , which is so similar in appearance that the two are difficult to distinguish in the field. Both species have long bushy black and white tails with a white stripe from the shoulder towards the rump. ''Xerus princeps'' is slightly larger, on average, than ''X. inauris'', although there is considerable overlap in body size. Differences in skull morphology also distinguish the two species, and the incisors are yellow to orange rather than white as in ''X. inauris''.
It is the closest relative of the Cape ground squirrel , which is so similar in appearance that the two are difficult to distinguish in the field. Both species have long bushy black and white tails with a white stripe from the shoulder towards the rump. ''Xerus princeps'' is slightly larger, on average, than ''X. inauris'', although there is considerable overlap in body size. Differences in skull morphology also distinguish the two species, and the incisors are yellow to orange rather than white as in ''X. inauris''.