The Cape Ground Squirrel is a small rodent that lives in dry savannas and semi-deserts of South Africa. It digs deep burrows, lives in groups, and uses its tail as protection from the sun.
The Cape Ground Squirrel differs from tree squirrels in that it spends its entire life on the ground, digs burrows, and uses its tail as an umbrella from the sun. It is important for nature because it loosens the soil, helps seeds germinate, and serves as food for snakes, birds, and wild cats.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Tail size
birth time
Describes the act of excavating soil or substrate to locate or access food.
breeding
Hot and almost no precipitation
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Claws color
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult
Maturity
Coconut
insects
About health
milk
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Eyes count
Colors
Sex
very hot and almost no rain
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
conifer cones
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
Filters
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
grass
Upcoming birthdays
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
Desert and dry shrubs
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Very hot and almost dry
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
cones of coniferous trees with seeds
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
fruits
roots
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
leaves
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
seeds
arid steppe hot
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
bulbs
from 0.5 to 0.8 kilograms, 0.5 – 1 meter
digging
Pets
Hot steppe
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
paw
Eyes size
Claws count
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Claws size
turns
Rascals
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
Tail color
drink mother's milk in childhood
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
Tropical savanna
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
alpine and arctic tundra
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
nest hidden in an underground burrow, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
steppe
Describes food handling or digging performed with the forelimbs.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
leaves and stems of grasses and other herbaceous vegetation
Bro
normal sexual
Taxons
seeds, berries, fruits
if born as {name}
Forages within or on the surface of soil or substrate.
omnivore
age
birth date
rest
bulbs and rhizomes — onion, tulip, narcissus
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
primary food sources
teeth
burrow
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
young shoots and leaves of plants
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
land
{name} birthday
soil
grass
No results found
Eyes color
On the map
bulbs
all life stages
Female ♀
world of Afrotropics
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
lots of grass, few trees, rains occur
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
Skin color
caring mother
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
protection from sun
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
early young
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
world of Afrotropics
Very hot and dry
Duration
live insects
This is me
Steppe
Gamers
How are they built?
Temperate steppe
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
very hot during the day, cold at night, almost no rain
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
roots and plant tubers
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Denotes a grassland or steppe habitat preference.
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
forages for food on the ground, digs soil with front paws and teeth
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
very hot and almost no precipitation
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
Length
kg
very hot and dry, rare rains, cacti live
Observations
◉{N} more on tap