The following species have galleries below. Not too long ago they were all in the genus Xerus, but there has been considerable splitting in recent years. The below show the current classification to the best of my knowledge: 

• Striped Ground Squirrel (Euxerus erythropus)

• Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus)

• Cape Ground Squirrel or South African Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus inauris)

• Mountain Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus princeps)

The Striped Ground Squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) is a species of squirrel native to Africa. It was first described by Geoffroy in 1803, but the original publication may be unavailable, so that the binomial authority is today more often cited as "Desmarest, 1817". There are six subspecies. It is a moderately large ground squirrel with sandy-brown or dark-brown fur with a white lateral stripe and whitish underparts. Adults live alone or in pairs in a simple burrow with a central nest, foraging, mostly on the ground, for seeds, nuts and roots, and caching excess food under stones. This is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Striped ground squirrels are moderately large ground squirrels, ranging from 22 to 29 centimetres (8.7 to 11.4 in) in length, with a tail that, at 19 to 26 centimetres (7.5 to 10.2 in), is nearly as long as the body. Adults weigh between 0.5 and 1 kilogram (1.1 and 2.2 lb). They have a coat of short, bristly fur, and are pale sandy to dark brown across most of the body, with whitish, nearly hairless, underparts. A narrow stripe of pure white fur runs down the flanks from the shoulders to the hips. The tail has hairs much longer than those on the body, which fan out to the sides, and are multi-coloured along their length, presenting a grizzled appearance. The ears are small, and the muzzle long, with a projecting, almost pointed, nose. The limbs are pale, with large feet and long, straight, claws. They can be distinguished from the otherwise similar Cape and mountain ground squirrels by the fact that female striped ground squirrels possess three pairs of teats, rather than just two.

Striped ground squirrels are found across Africa south of the Sahara and north of the tropical rainforest. They are found from the Atlantic coast in the west to Ethiopia and Kenya in the east, being absent in the Horn of Africa. They inhabit open or disturbed forests and savannah country, often near cultivated land, and, at the extremes of their range, coastal scrubland and semidesert regions. Fossils attributed to the species have been identified from Pliocene Ethiopia.

Six subspecies are currently recognised:

• Euxerus erythropus erythropus - West Africa, from Mauritania to the Central African Republic, small relict population in Souss plains of Morocco

• E. e. chadensis - eastern Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon, southern Chad, and central western Sudan

• E. e. lacustris - northern Congo

• E. e. leucombrinus - eastern Uganda, southeastern Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and northern Kenya

• E. e. limitaneus - southwestern Sudan, and neighbouring parts of Chad and the Central African Republic

• E. e. microdon - southern Kenya

Striped ground squirrels are diurnal herbivores, and spend almost their entire lives on the ground, although are capable of climbing into bushes to reach food. They eat a range of seeds, nuts, and roots, and can be an agricultural pest, eating crops such as cassava, yams, cotton bolls, peanuts, and sweet potatoes. They may occasionally supplement their diet with eggs, insects, and other small animals. Their predators include servals, jackals, birds of prey, and common puff adders.

They forage throughout home ranges of about 12 hectares (30 acres) in semi-arid terrain, but their ranges overlap and they make frequent forays into surrounding areas in search of food. They mark their territories using scent glands on their cheeks, which they rub onto stones and tree trunks, although they do not appear to defend them from intruders.

The squirrels spend the night in burrows, which they dig with their large claws. Their burrows are usually simple in structure, with a central nest less than a metre below the surface, a single entrance tunnel, and a few blind-ending tunnels that almost reach the surface. The latter are used as escape routes, allowing the squirrel to rapidly break through to the surface; the main entrance tunnel is often also blocked with a temporary pile of dirt at night. Burrows may also contain caches of food, although these are more commonly located some distance away and concealed beneath stones or dead leaves. They also bury their urine, but not their dung.

Striped ground squirrels live alone, or in pairs, and greet other members of their species by sniffing each other nose-to-nose. They move with a jumping gait, frequently pausing to sniff or look around, and making longer leaps when they need to move more quickly. They normally hold their tail horizontally when moving, or upright when still, and can fluff it up into a "bottle-brush" when alarmed. They can make a chattering sound, similar to that of other squirrels.

Striped Ground Squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

The Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus) is a species of rodent (order Rodentia) in the family Sciuridae. It is the only member of the genus Xerus . It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The unstriped ground squirrel is brownish or tawny in color with a lighter colored front. As the name suggests the X. rutilus differs from other species of African ground squirrel by not having dorsal-running longitudinal white stripes. The eye is ringed with white hair (all hair being coarse in observed specimens). ngth of the hind foot is 35–49 mm with a braincase measuring only 24–25 mm. The length of the mandible is variable in the range of 31.0 to 33.9 mm.

Xerus rutilus is a member of the Xerini tribe, but differs from its sister group Xerus daamsi. Both are separate and distinct from the North African equivalent Atlantoxerus. Vibrissae (whiskers) length and brain size are both smaller than arboreal squirrels of the region, but are similar to other terrestrial squirrels.

No significant sexual dimorphism is noted in X. rutilus.

The unstriped ground squirrel is endemic to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea and Uganda and probably extant in Somalia. Its natural habitats include dry (arid) savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Populations occupy many overlapping regions with its sister group, the striped ground squirrel (X. erythropus), in northeastern Africa. X. rutilus dig and occupy burrows in generally arid conditions. 

Unstriped Ground Squirrel (Xerus rutilus) Ali Dege Plains Ethiopia and Samburu Kenya

The Cape Ground Squirrel or South African Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus inauris) is found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia, including Etosha National Park.

The name Cape ground squirrel is somewhat misleading as it actually has a much wider area of habitation. This common name may have been arrived at to distinguish it from a tree squirrel (the eastern grey squirrel) found around Cape Town, which was imported from Europe by Cecil John Rhodes.

The species has also been known as the fan-tailed squirrel.

The Cape ground squirrel has black skin with a coat made of short stiff hairs without underfur. The fur is cinnamon on the back while the face, underbelly, sides of neck and ventral sides of limbs are white. The sides of its body each have a white stripe that stretches from the shoulders to the thighs. The eyes are fairly large and have white lines around them. The pinnae are small. The tail is flattened on the back and underside and is covered with white hair and two black bands at the base. The Cape ground's sexual dimorphism is subtle. Males usually weigh 423–649 grams (0.933–1.431 lb), 8 to 12 percent more than females at 444–600 grams (0.979–1.323 lb). Male Cape ground squirrels have a total length of 424–476 millimetres (16.7–18.7 in), while females are 435–446 millimetres (17.1–17.6 in) long. The dental formula of the ground squirrel is 1.1.0.01.1.3.3. The belly and groin area of the females each have two pairs of mammary glands. The glans penis of the males are large with a prominent baculum.This species is notable for its impressively large testicles, which are roughly golf ball size, around 20% of the length of the head and body. Moulting occurs between August and September and between March and April, once per year.

The Cape ground squirrel is widespread in southern Africa; through Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, and Namibia. Its range covers most of Namibia but is absent from coastal regions and the northwest. Ground squirrels inhabit central and southwestern Kalahari in Botswana. In South Africa, it can be found in central and north-central areas.

Cape ground squirrels live mainly in arid or semiarid areas. They prefer to live in veld and grasslands with hard ground. They can also be found in scrub along pans, on floodplains and in agricultural areas. Ground squirrel are generally active during the day and do not hibernate. They are burrowing animals that dig and live in clusters of burrows averaging around 700 square metres (7,500 sq ft) with 2-100 entrances. Burrows serve to protect the squirrel from extreme temperatures at the surface as well as predators. Nevertheless, most of the day is spent feeding at the surface. Ground squirrels often shade their head and back with their bushy tails, which was thought to be important in thermoregulation. Dust bathing is also done.

Ground squirrels eat bulbs, fruits, grasses, herbs, insects and shrubs. They forage daily and do not hoard food,. The Cape ground squirrel usually does not need to drink as it gets sufficient moisture from its food. A ground squirrel's daily activities are made of around 70% feeding, 15-20% being vigilant and around 10% socializing. The squirrels use the position of the sun as an orientation marker to hide and recover their food.

The burrows of Cape ground squirrels are also used by meerkats and yellow mongooses. While Cape ground squirrels and meerkats appear to have a mutual relationship, mongoose and squirrel relations appear to be more commensal. Predators of ground squirrels include jackals, snakes and monitor lizards. Ground squirrels may be able to scent the differences in the dropping of predators and non-predators. When threatened by predators ground squirrels engage in mobbing behaviour: several squirrels rush at the predator while using their bushy tails to block it. When the predator strikes back, all the squirrels back off. However, multiple mobbings are usually successful in driving away predators.

Cape ground squirrels live in groups of two to three adult females and a maximum of nine sub-adults of either sex

Cape ground squirrels live in groups of two to three adult females and a maximum of nine sub-adults of either sex as well as the females’ dependent offspring.[9] Groups that have more than three females split into smaller groups. Adult males live separately from females and only join when the females are in estrus.[12] Male groups number up to 19 unrelated individuals, which are not agonistic. Within a male group, four to five males may form temporary subgroups that change size and members each day. Female groups live in separate burrow clusters. A female group's home range is c. 4 hectares (9.9 acres) with core areas of around 0.25 hectares (0.62 acres). Home ranges can overlap. Core areas are defended by agonistic behaviour. Male groups live in home ranges envelop those of several female groups and average 12.1 hectares (30 acres). Within a female group there is no dominance hierarchy, and members use the same feeding and sleeping ranges. Male groups, by contrast, live in ages-based linear hierarchies. Competition between males usually takes the form of leaping displays that cause no injuries. Unlike female groups, male groups are not territorial, and membership is very open. During oestrus, a female will be approached, solicited and chased by males trying to mate with her. The most dominant males get the first matings. A female will mate with the same male several times. If a male has not yet mated with a female, he will disrupt the copulations she has with other males. However, mate guarding is rare.

Cape Ground Squirrel or South African Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus inauris) in many locations in South Africa and Namibia

The Mountain Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus princeps) is a rodent that is native to southwestern Angola, western Namibia, and western South Africa. It is also known as the Kaoko ground squirrel or the Damara ground squirrel.

It is the closest relative of the Cape ground squirrel[4] (Latin name Geosciurus inauris), which is so similar in appearance that the two are difficult to distinguish in the field. Both species have long bushy black and white tails with a white stripe from the shoulder towards the rump. Geosciurus princeps is slightly larger, on average, than G. inauris, although there is considerable overlap in body size. Differences in skull morphology also distinguish the two species, and the incisors are yellow to orange rather than white as in G. inauris.

The mountain ground squirrel is restricted to a narrow band of the southwest arid region of Africa from southern Angola to southern Namibia and as far south as Richtersveld National Park.

The mountain ground squirrel is a large-bodied squirrel with small ears. The total length of head and body measures 23 to 29 cm (9.1 to 11.4 in), tail length from 21 to 28 cm (8.3 to 11.0 in), and weight ranges from 490 to 710 grams (1.1 to 1.6 lb). The body is covered in short, pale cinnamon brown hair, which changes to white on the belly, around the eyes, and on the front of the face. A white stripe extends from shoulders to hips. There is no underfur, and the skin is black. Tail hairs are white with three black stripes.

Mountain ground squirrels are strictly diurnal. Adult females may live alone or in small family groups, while males are mostly solitary. In contrast to the Cape Ground Squirrel, they are not known to exhibit play behaviors, allogrooming, or other social behaviors. They build burrows in areas with sparse cover. In the daytime, they may range up to 1 km (0.6 mi) from the home burrow in search of food. 

Mountain Ground Squirrel (Geosciurus princeps) Damaraland Namibia