Balkan Yam vs Little Ground Squirrel

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Spermophilus pygmaeus

Key Differences

• Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while Little Ground Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	Little Ground Squirrel
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Dioscorea	Spermophilus
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Spermophilus pygmaeus

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

Little Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Yam	Little Ground Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Little Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Russia and Ukraine.

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.