Classification
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel Domain: Eukarya |
 Permission
for Use This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. |
The Breakdown of Each Classification
| Eukarya- | Multicellular, membrane bound organelles |
| Animalia- | Motile, heterotrophic, lack cell walls, embryo passes through blastula stage |
| Chordata- | Possess the following at one point during development: a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, post-anal tail |
| Vertebrata- | Possesses a spinal cord/backbone |
| Mammalia- | Air breathing, females possess mammary glands, sweat glands, have hair/fur, three middle ear bones, neocortex region of the brain |
| Theria- | Give birth without a shelled egg |
| Eutheria- | Placental birth |
| Rodentia- | Two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing |
| Sciuromorpha- | Unique ifraorbital canal that includes an asciuromorphous zygomasseteric system, characterized by the attachment of the lateral masseter muscle along the side of the rostrum and the fact the medial masseter muscle does not pass through the infraorbital canal |
| Spermophilus- | "Seed-loving" |
| tridecemlineatus- | Thirteen-lined |
Phylogenetic Tree of Mammals
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus is placed under the squirrel category in this mammalian phylogenetic tree based on morphalogical similar characteristsics. The closest related mammal to the squirrel is the guinea pig and the second closest mammal is the beaver. The duck-billed platypus is the furthers relative based on this phylogenetic tree.
Phylogenetic Tree of Squirrel Species Cynomys, Spermophilus, Marmota, Ammospermophilus
Illustrated in this phylogenetic tree is genetic relationships between the four squirrel species Cynomys, Spermophilus, Marmota, Ammosperm. The cytochrome-b gene from each genus was analyzed and compared. Spermophilus tridecemlienatus's closest squirrel relative, as pictured, is Spermophilus mexicanus as illustrated in this phylogenetic tree that analyzed cytochrome-b gene.