It was first described by Geoffroy in 1803,[1][2] but the original publication may be unavailable, so that the binomial authority is today more often cited as "Desmarest, 1817".[3] 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.