Page 150 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Squirrels are small to medium sized rodents totalling around 268 species of the family Sciuridae.
They are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa. The largest of the species is the Oriental giant
squirrel (genus ratufa) of Asia that is 31 to 38 cm in length, has a tail length of around 37 to 44 cm and
weighs about 875 to 1,500 grams. The smallest is the African pygmy squirrel at around 10 to 14 cm in
length and weighs about 12 to 26 grams.

Squirrels are small furry animals, and most, not
all, have long bushy tails. They have long hindlimbs,
and short forelimbs. Their feet have soft pads on the
underside and will either have four or five clawed toes,
one on the forefeet being a small thumb. They have
large round eyes with excellent vision and their short
snout bristles with stiff whiskers that are very sensi-
tive to touch. As rodents, all squirrels have large ever-
growing incisors, which keep them constantly gnawing
to control their growth. Their soft fur coat comes in a
variety of patterns and colours, with those in the hot-
ter climates having a mix of bright reflective colours
like, orange, yellow and reds while those in cooler cli-
mates more heat absorbing colours like dark greys,
browns or blacks. The squirrel family is divided into
two parts, the tree squirrels, which include flying
squirrels, and ground squirrels which also include
chipmunks, prairie dogs and several other terrestrial species. These two ‘parts’ are not divided accord-
ing to their physiology; it simply means that some squirrels are tree dwellers and others are ground
dwellers.

Tree squirrels number around 122 species in 22 genera in the family Sciuridae. Because many of
the species, like the, Western/Eastern grey squirrel, fox squirrel and Red squirrel of the genus Sciurus,
have adapted so well to urban living, has made the tree squirrel the best known of the squirrel family.
Tree squirrels also have the flying squirrel, (scientific name, Pteromyini) in their number. It’s listed as
physiologically different, because it has flaps of skin called patagia, which it uses to glide (it cannot fly)
from one tree to another, but its looks, lifestyle and eating habits are that of a squirrel. Tree squirrels are
generally smaller and live a more solitary lifestyle then ground squirrels. They are also one of a very few
species of tree dwelling animals that can safely descend the trunk of a tree head first. Many tree squirrels
have different ways of dealing with their arboreal lifestyle. For instance, the Oriental giant squirrels and
African giant squirrels living high in the canopy rarely leave the trees. They forage and move from tree
to tree via the canopy, while the, Eastern grey squirrel, another canopy lover, is known to leave the trees
and swim rivers to get to a tree. On the other hand, the African palm squirrels, are long-legged runners
that leave the trees to forage on the ground, and the Eastern fox squirrel, will run along the ground just
to change trees.

Ground squirrel is a term used to describe around 62 species of medium sized burrowing squir-
rels, in the family Sciuridae. The larger and much heavier ground squirrels are known as marmots or
more popularly as prairie dogs, or groundhogs (genus Marmota). The smallest ground squirrels and
the less bushy-tailed are commonly known as chipmunks (genus Tamias), although they do spend a lot
of time basking and foraging in trees. Ground squirrels are social animals and tend to gather in large col-
onies. Out in the open they are conscious of danger, and spend most of their time standing on their hind-
legs totally erect searching for predators. If danger is spotted, they omit high-pitched warning calls to
alert the others, sending them scurrying into their deep underground burrows. Many of these burrows
are complex structures some with long tunnels, many chambers and several entry points and most are
between 1 to 9 metres deep, keeping them safe from even the most determined predator. Ground squir-
rels are thought to be more aggressive than their counterparts in the trees with the, thirteen-lined squir-
rel the most aggressive of the squirrel family. All squirrels, whether arboreal or terrestrial, are omni-
vores, and will eat both plants and meat. They primarily eat tree seeds, nuts, berries, and a variety of
plant material, but their diet will vary according to the season and where they are located. They will also
eat insects, bird eggs and amphibians. While squirrels, in the cold north, hibernate, those in tropical re-
gions don’t, so they cache nuts and berries in holes in the ground, under rocks or deep crevices found in
trees to sustain them over the winter months. Nuts cached in the ground but forgotten by the squirrel,
will root and grow in summer, while those cached in trees will simply rot, making the ground squirrel
more eco-friendly then its tree dwelling counterpart.