The Taurus ground squirrel (''Spermophilus taurensis'') is a species of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
in the family
Sciuridae. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...
of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. It was first identified as a distinct species to the
Asia Minor ground squirrel
The Asia Minor ground squirrel (''Spermophilus xanthoprymnus''), also known as Anatolian souslik, Anatolian ground squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. The scientific name roughly tran ...
in 2007.
References
Heterochromatin distribution and nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in chromosomes of the Taurus ground squirrel, Spermophilus taurensis Gunduz ''et al''., 2007 (Mammalia: Rodentia), in Turkey Turk J Zool
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2593443
Spermophilus
Endemic fauna of Turkey
Mammals described in 2007