# Xerini

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{{Short description|Tribe of rodents}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = Early [Oligocene](/source/Oligocene) - Recent
| image = Xerus rutilus.jpg
| image_caption = [Unstriped ground squirrel](/source/Unstriped_ground_squirrel) (''Xerus rutilus'')
| taxon = Xerini
| authority = [Osborn](/source/Henry_Fairfield_Osborn), 1910
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = ''[Atlantoxerus](/source/Atlantoxerus)''<br />
''[Euxerus](/source/Euxerus)''<br />
''[Geosciurus](/source/Geosciurus)''<br />
''[Xerus](/source/Xerus)''<br />
''[Spermophilopsis](/source/Spermophilopsis)''
}}

'''Xerini''' is a [tribe](/source/Tribe_(biology)) of ground [squirrel](/source/squirrel)s occurring in Africa and Asia. With the tribes [Marmotini](/source/Marmotini) ([Holarctic](/source/Holarctic) ground squirrels) and [Protoxerini](/source/Protoxerini) (African tree squirrels), they form the subfamily [Xerinae](/source/Xerinae). There are five living genera—''[Xerus](/source/Xerus)'', the unstriped ground squirrel; ''[Euxerus](/source/Xerus_erythropus)'', the striped ground squirrel; ''[Geosciurus](/source/Geosciurus)'', the Cape and mountain ground squirrels; ''[Atlantoxerus](/source/Atlantoxerus)'', containing the living [Barbary ground squirrel](/source/Barbary_ground_squirrel) of North Africa and some extinct species; and ''[Spermophilopsis](/source/Spermophilopsis)'', containing the [long-clawed ground squirrel](/source/long-clawed_ground_squirrel) of Central Asia.

The squirrels live in open woodlands, grasslands, or rocky country. They are diurnal and terrestrial, living in burrows. Their diet is roots, seeds, fruits, pods, grains, insects, small vertebrates and bird eggs. They live in colonies similar to North American prairie dogs, and have similar behavior. If kept as pets, they run free as house cats do, otherwise farmers consider them pests. Breeding in South African ground squirrels is asynchronous and there is no specific period of breeding although very few litters are seen above the ground in the months of July to October. Gestation period lasts for 48 days and the young ones are weaned after 52 days. There are one to three babies per litter. A female becomes sexually mature when she is 10 months old and a male matures at the age of 8 months. Although a female has the capability to breed throughout the year, less than 10% reproduce more than one litter in a year.

The South African ground squirrel does not hibernate. These squirrels are very social and live in groups with about 1 to 3 females and 2 to 3 males. Sometimes, the number of males can exceed up to 9 with some sub-adult females. An interesting thing about this breed is that mature males like to form their own groups and there can be 19 to 20 individuals in one group. These groups are called bands.

Their home range is shared with other groups which is actually quite a surprising thing, since in case of most of the mammals there is generally an extremely tough competition to get the female. The group-living instinct of this species gives it a survival opportunity from predators overweighing the disadvantage of breeding opportunities which come from competition.

==Species==
'''Extant species'''
*Genus ''[Atlantoxerus](/source/Atlantoxerus)''
**[Barbary ground squirrel](/source/Barbary_ground_squirrel), ''Atlantoxerus getulus''
*Genus ''[Euxerus](/source/Euxerus)''
**[Striped ground squirrel](/source/Xerus_erythropus), ''Euxerus erythropus''
*Genus ''[Geosciurus](/source/Geosciurus)''
**[Cape ground squirrel](/source/Cape_ground_squirrel), ''Geosciurus inauris''
**[Mountain ground squirrel](/source/Mountain_ground_squirrel), ''Geosciurus princeps''
*Genus ''[Xerus](/source/Xerus)''
**[Unstriped ground squirrel](/source/Unstriped_ground_squirrel), ''Xerus rutilus''
*Genus ''[Spermophilopsis](/source/Spermophilopsis)''
**[Long-clawed ground squirrel](/source/Long-clawed_ground_squirrel), ''Spermophilopsis leptodactylus''
'''Fossil species'''

* Genus ''[Heteroxerus](/source/Heteroxerus)''
** †''[Heteroxerus grivensis](/source/Heteroxerus_grivensis)''
* Genus ''[Aragoxerus](/source/Aragoxerus)''
** †''[Aragoxerus ignis](/source/Aragoxerus_ignis)''

==References==
*Thorington,  R.W. Jr. and Hoffmann, R.S. 2005. Family Sciuridae. Pp.&nbsp;754–818 in Wilson, D.E. and  Reeder, D.M. (eds.). [http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3 Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and  geographic reference. 3rd ed].  Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|978-0-8018-8221-0}}

{{S. Xerinae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q894233}}

Category:Xerini
Category:Mammals of Africa
Category:Mammal tribes

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Xerini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerini) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerini?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.