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Striped Ground Squirrel in Morocco (1 Viewer)

Is this one, or are there other species? It was at Oued Massa in Feb 2011.
 

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Is this one, or are there other species? It was at Oued Massa in Feb 2011.

The animal in this (excellent) photo is a Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), a much more widespread species.

To answer the OP's question, I have only seen Striped Ground Squirrels in the Gambia, but I know of at least one person that has seen them in Morroco (a couple of years ago near Agadir).
 
As an aside - any idea what this rodent is, please? Obviously not a Striped Ground Squirrel as it isn't striped (!). Tagdilt area, April 2006. Thanks!
 

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As an aside - any idea what this rodent is, please? Obviously not a Striped Ground Squirrel as it isn't striped (!). Tagdilt area, April 2006. Thanks!
Parhaps a Gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi)? Did you notice any tail?

EDIT: Or a Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus)? With hidden tail? I see the ears are very characteristic in Gundis and they do not resemble the animal in your photo.
 
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Parhaps a Gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi)? Did you notice any tail?

EDIT: Or a Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus)? With hidden tail? I see the ears are very characteristic in Gundis and they do not resemble the animal in your photo.

Thanks! No, never saw its tail end - it was looking out of its burrow and never came right out.

Looked at pics of the two, and Sand Rat is definitely the better fit.
 
As an aside - any idea what this rodent is, please? Obviously not a Striped Ground Squirrel as it isn't striped (!). Tagdilt area, April 2006. Thanks!

Fat Sand Rats were all over the place at Tagdilt when I was there in 2012.
 

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The animal in this (excellent) photo is a Barbary Ground Squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), a much more widespread species.

To answer the OP's question, I have only seen Striped Ground Squirrels in the Gambia, but I know of at least one person that has seen them in Morroco (a couple of years ago near Agadir).
Thanks Mike. The species is certainly much rarer than the Barbary Ground Squirrel, but it has been seen in Morocco during the last few years by some people like the person you cited for example. After publishing the blog, a reader sent me these recent records on observation.org (some with photos, but the observations outside the Souss region are most likely incorrect). Then I edited the blog to relativise the language used in the second paragraph. It’s not a big deal for the article because the authors can’t check the entire Internet. But their statement about formal zoological surveys in the 20th century missing the species is supported by references.

I second you, Mark’s photo shows a Barbary Ground Squirrel.

As an aside - any idea what this rodent is, please? Obviously not a Striped Ground Squirrel as it isn't striped (!). Tagdilt area, April 2006. Thanks!
I also think it’s a Fat Sand Rat, as BW said it’s abundant at Tagdilt and other similar habitat (It’s one of the main prey for the raptors at Guelmim from the local Atlas Long-legged Buzzard to the wintering Spanish Imperial Eagle).

The gundi species are found in more rocky habitats, I have seen the Common Gundi at Todgha Gorges a few years ago.
 
Thanks for the ID Mike et al - I just had it down as Ground Squirrel - and the Fat Sand Rat clears up another ID question I had!
 

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