squirrel ground squirrel WIKIPEDIA:Spermophilus Spermophilus is a genus of ground squirrels in the family *Sciuridae*. The majority of ground squirrel species, over 40 in total, are usually placed in this genus. However, *Spermophilus* in the broad sense has been found to be paraphyletic to the certainly distinct prairie dogs, marmots, and antelope squirrels, so it has been split into several genera by Kristofer Helgen and colleagues. spermophilus requires discussion