Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae

Barbary Ground Squirrel

Atlantoxerus getulus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Barbary ground squirrel, also known as aybur in Tamazight, ardilla berberisca, ardilla listada de Fuerteventura, ardilla terrestre berberisca or ardilla de Berbería, is a species of sciuromorph rodent of the family Sciuridae that lives in Africa and in the Canary Islands. It is the only living species of the genus Atlantoxerus and no subspecies are recognised. It is, together with the red squirrel, one of the two species that live in Spain, possibly on the island of Fuerteventura.

Weight

200 g – 350 g

Size

16 cm – 22 cm

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertMountainIslandsHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Desert Mountain Islands Mammal

3countries 9parks22same family

Fun facts

GeneralIntroduced to Fuerteventura in 1965 from a single pair; today it is an invasive species.
The entire Fuerteventura population descends from a pair of animals released in 1965: today there are hundreds of thousands on the island and it is on the Spanish catalogue of invasive alien species.
It is a textbook case of a biological invasion from the smallest of beginnings: a single domestic release on an island without suitable predators was enough to transform the fauna of an entire territory.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Arid rocky slopes, stone walls and dry scrub of the Atlas, and the lava fields of Fuerteventura
Sexual maturity: 10 months
Gestation / incubation: 32 days
Litter / clutch size: 3

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantoxerus_getulus