Squirrel

Quick Take

• Groundhogs, chipmunks, and prairie dogs aren't just squirrel neighbors. They're actually squirrels themselves. Explore the squirrel family →
• Squirrels use a trick to outsmart food thieves that's more strategic than most people realize. See their food storage tactics →
• The name 'squirrel' traces back to two Greek words, and the meaning is not what you'd expect. Discover the Greek origins →
• There's a simple, non-toxic trick to keep squirrels away, and you almost certainly already have it sitting in your kitchen. Find the kitchen repellent →

The squirrel is a small rodent found on most continents, usually living in trees, though some kinds live underground. It has a bushy tail, sharp claws for climbing, and front teeth that keep growing throughout its life. Squirrels eat mostly nuts and seeds, and they often bury food to eat later in the year.

7 Incredible Squirrel Facts

• There are over 200 species, and they can be found almost anywhere.
• A squirrel is a rodent, and it has a surprisingly trusting personality.
• Squirrels are planners! As winter approaches, they gather and store food in different locations as a survival tactic.
• Squirrels are very intelligent animals that use different sounds to communicate with other squirrels.
• Along with these vocalizations, these animals will signal each other with their tails.
• Squirrels do not like some smells and are repelled by them, like white pepper, garlic, and black pepper.
• The most commonly used term for a group or gathering of squirrels is a scurry.

Evolution

The earliest fossil evidence for squirrels was found in western North America and dates to around 36 million years ago. Six million years later, fossil records indicate that squirrels appeared in Europe, with the first evidence dating to about 30 million years ago. During that time, the Bering Strait land bridge provided passage for many different species, including squirrels, from North America. Squirrels show up in African fossil records shortly after Africa collided with Eurasia about 18 to 20 million years ago. After that, squirrels evolved and adapted to their diverse environments, resulting in the over 200 species known today.

Classification and Scientific Name

Squirrels belong to the family Sciuridae, the kingdom Animalia, and the phylum Chordata. Their class is called Mammalia, and the order is called Rodentia.

The word Sciuridae is from the Latin word Sciurus, which means squirrel. The Latin root comes from a combination of two Greek words — skia (shade) and oura (tail).

Types and Species

There are more than 200 species of squirrels all over the world. They are mostly categorized into three different types: ground squirrels, tree squirrels, and flying squirrels.

The various types are differentiated by their size and where they live. According to reports, squirrels are found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. They belong to the scientific family Sciuridae.

Some of the common types of squirrels include the Indian giant squirrel, the Western grey squirrel, and the American red squirrel. With the right habitat and care, you can also keep a squirrel as a pet.

Appearance

These animals are small, nimble rodents. Their bodies are slender, and they have large eyes and bushy tails. Their fur is short, silky, and very soft. However, the thickness of the fur varies from species to species. The fur comes in a variety of colors, including gray, brown, yellow, red, black, and white. The color also depends on the species.

Most species have small yet pointed ears with tiny, sharp claws, giving them the leverage that they need to climb trees quickly and with ease. The smallest squirrel is only about 5 inches long from nose to tail, while some of the largest squirrels in the world can have body lengths of 11.8 to 19.7 inches (30 to 50 cm). Their tails are even bigger, reaching a length of up to 23.6 inches (60 cm) in some species.

The average squirrel weighs 1 to 1.5 pounds. The Indian giant squirrel is about 1.5 to 2 kg (3.3 to 4.4 lbs), featuring a beautiful rust and black fur coat. Interestingly, a solid black coat is considered very rare in squirrels.

Behavior

These rodents are warm and friendly animals that can easily become trusting of humans. They can also be kept as a pet. They can come to eat from your hand if they trust you enough. They are also very intelligent, and their brain is known to be dedicated to visual functions.

As trusting as they may be, they might stare at a person to judge if the person is safe or unsafe for them. They will quickly climb up a tree in case they sense any danger at all. They are also known to be noisy animals and vocalize their thoughts by chattering, barking, purring, and screaming, especially during mating season.

To warn others of impending danger or potential suspicion, these rodents will wag their tails. They also prepare well for winter, when food may not be as plentiful, by storing nuts, seeds, and other food items in different spots rather than one place. Instead, they choose different spots so that they can go back to them when the weather conditions turn harsh. They usually dig burrows and rest in them to protect themselves from the cold as well as harsh conditions.

These animals are most active during the day, at dawn, and at dusk. Flying squirrels, on the other hand, are known to be usually active during the night. They do not like the smell of white pepper, black pepper, and garlic, giving you an easy and non-toxic repellent to keep these critters away.

Habitat

Reports suggest that these animals can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Different species can be found in different areas of the world. However, these animals can be found mostly in mature or nearly mature forests, especially in woodland areas (including the Indian giant squirrel).

They usually nest on walnut, oak, pecan, hickory, maple, elm, and mulberry trees, giving them plenty of places to rest. Tree squirrels especially live in wooded areas and (as their name suggests) prefer living in the trees. Meanwhile, ground squirrels live on the ground, digging tunnels and burrows to travel underground. These burrows are also used to nest during the winter season.

These animals create their nests themselves with the help of twigs and leaves that they go around collecting. The inside lining of their nests is grass and leaves. Their nests are called dreys, and they are usually placed along branches or on buildings.

Some species might not end up making their own nests and could temporarily take shelter in holes and stumps. There are usually two types of nests that the animals make. They either make open nests that are used for sleeping or covered ones that are used for birthing as well as raising babies.

Diet

Squirrels primarily eat seeds, nuts, fungi, and fruit. Apart from that, they also feed on other plant matter. Some species are also omnivorous when food is scarce; however, they do not prey on other mammals. Instead, these animals take to feeding on eggs, insects, and some small invertebrates.

Predators and Threats

These rodents face threats from human activities like industrialization and deforestation, which ultimately lead to habitat loss and slowly reduce their population. Habitat loss is also facilitated by urbanization as well as wildfires. There are also certain plants that threaten the natural habitat of the animal.

The Western grey squirrel was earlier considered a threatened species due to a disease that took much of its population. It was also put at risk for the many road accidents that killed these animals. The population has since recovered.

What Eats Squirrels?

Some of the common predators of these animals include red foxes, domestic cats, wild cats, dogs, badgers, polecats, and weasels. Large carnivorous birds like eagles also prey on squirrels.

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

These animals breed once or twice every year. They have a gestation period of 36 to 46 days, but it depends on the particular species. This rodent can mate as early as 1 year old, eventually having two litters of young. One of the litters is typically born at the end of spring, while the other is born at the end of summer.

The babies are born blind and hairless, opening their eyes at 4 weeks of age. By 6 weeks old, they usually start venturing out of their nests., not weaning from their mothers until they are about 6 to 10 weeks old. Baby squirrels are known to thrive most easily when they have the care of their mothers, giving them the best chance of survival.

The lifespan of the animal varies from species to species. In the wild, the lifespan can range from 5 to 10 years.

Population

While the exact global population of these animals is unknown, there are more than 200 species of squirrels. Most of them can be divided up by their method of travel, including ground squirrels, tree squirrels, and flying squirrels. However, the latter actually glides through the air, rather than flying.

Though the Western-grey squirrel was considered a threatened species at one time, the population has recovered.

More Squirrel Species

There are over 200 species of squirrels; here are a few of those:

• Chipmunks: Small, striped rodents found in North America. The Siberian chipmunk is found in Asia. These little ground squirrels play an important role in forest ecosystems by harvesting and distributing tree seeds. They also help trees by eating fungi and by dispersing truffle spores.
• Western grey squirrels: Can be found in Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada.
• Red Squirrel: A species of tree squirrel common throughout Europe and Asia.
• Fox Squirrel: Larger than the more common grey squirrel, these squirrels can be found in the eastern, central, and southeastern portions of the United States.
• American Red: Also known as the “pine squirrel,” the American Red can be found anywhere in the United States that has an abundance of conifer trees.
• Southern Flying Squirrel: A flying squirrel that can be found in the northern and southern sections of the eastern United States.
• Northern Flying Squirrel: This little flying squirrel is smaller than its southern cousin and resides in the northwestern United States.
• Douglas Squirrel: Found in Pacific coastal states in the U.S., the Douglas Squirrel is the other “pine squirrel,” along with the American Red.
• Abert’s Squirrel: This unusual squirrel is dark grey with a white belly and tail. It also has elongated, black-tipped ears and can be found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
• White-tailed antelope squirrel: These little ground squirrels look like chipmunks, except their stripes end at their necks. They can be found in New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and southern California.
• Black-tailed prairie dog: Native to the grasslands of North America, these little members of the squirrel family inhabit shortgrass prairies where they live in vast underground burrows. They have a matriarchal social structure where everyone chips in to help the colony. Prairie dogs have an impressive set of vocalizations that they use to send messages to each other.

• Indian giant Squirrel: Also known as the Malabar Giant squirrel, this large multi-colored tree squirrel lives in forests and woodlands in India. One of the world’s largest squirrels, the Indian giant can weigh up to 4 pounds and comes in a one-, two-, or three-toned color scheme. Colors are whitish, creamy beige, buff, tan, rust, reddish-maroon, brown, dark seal brown, or black.
• Texas antelope squirrel: These tiny Texans look like chipmunks but with one difference — their stripes don’t extend to their heads, and their tails are frequently held over their backs.
• Prevost’s squirrel: Also called the Asian tri-colored squirrel, this colorful little rodent can be found in the forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and nearby smaller islands. Their fur has three distinct bands of jet-black, white, and reddish-brown.
• Arizona grey squirrel: A gray tree squirrel that dwells in the canyons and valleys surrounded by mixed forests in eastern Arizona and northern Mexico.
• Mohave ground squirrel: These little ground squirrels can only be found in the Mohave Desert in California. They are known for the cute little “peep” sound they make.
• Palla’s Squirrel: Also known as the red-bellied tree squirrel, this gray and red squirrel is native to China, India, and Southeast Asia.
• Northern Idaho ground squirrel: This little ground squirrel is considered threatened. Smaller than most ground squirrels, its fur is grayish brown with reddish brown spots. It has a short tail, tan feet and ears, and a creamy white eye ring. This rare squirrel eats large quantities of grass seed, stems, and leaves.
• Smith’s bush squirrel: Also known as the yellow-footed tree squirrel, this squirrel is native to woodlands of the southern Afrotropics. Its coloration varies with its range — some being pale gray, some pale brown. Its head and legs are a dark rusty color. Their chests tend to be yellowish to buff.
• Groundhog: Also known as woodchucks, groundhogs are members of a subspecies of the squirrel family known as marmots. They are extremely intelligent, forming complex social networks, bonding with their young, and communicating vocally. They work together to burrow tunnels where they sleep, hibernate, and live. These large rodents live all over the eastern United States, across Canada, and into Alaska.

In the Zoo

Squirrels can be kept in zoos, though an experienced owner can also keep them as a pet. Zoos in nearly every state have exhibited squirrels, making them easy to find. However, if you don’t want to go to the zoo, you might just need to venture to a local forest to find them.