Rio Grande ground squirrel

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Rio Grande ground squirrel (Ictidomys parvidens) is a small rodent in the squirrel family (Sciuridae). It lives in the southwestern United States, especially Texas and New Mexico, and in northeastern Mexico. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel and was placed in a large group called Spermophilus. DNA studies showed that Spermophilus was not a natural grouping, so this species was moved to its own genus, Ictidomys. Today it is recognized as its own species, Ictidomys parvidens.