The Squirrel Family

A Grey Squirrel

The scientific name for the squirrel family is ‘Sciuridae’; this family is made up of medium-sized rodents such as ground squirrels, tree squirrels, marmots, woodchucks flying squirrels and prairie dogs. There are about 280 different species of squirrel, which are split into five sub-families.

Did you know that squirrels are closely related to mountain beavers and dormice?

Squirrels can be found in the wild in most parts of America, Europe, Asia and Africa. They have recently been introduced to Australia. Different squirrel species have shown amazing abilities when it comes to adapting in different environments, although as far as we know there are no squirrels living in the polar regions.

Different species of Squirrel are different sizes. The African Pygmy squirrel is around 3 inches long whereas the Alpine marmot can be up to 30 inches long. The density of their fur changes from species to species. Mos have fine, silky fur although some species have dense, course fur.

In general most species of squirrel have a slender body with a big, bushy tail. There is no set colour for squirrels as it varies from species to species. The American grey squirrel is a greyish colour, whereas the Red squirrel (which is native to the UK) is a reddish colour.

On average, squirrel species tend to breed around twice a year and give birth to varying numbers of young around three to six weeks later.

Grey Squirrel

Their forearms tend to be shorter than their back legs, and interestingly squirrels have a thumb on their forearms, however it is poorly developed. On each foot they have four of five toes, depending on whether it is a forearm or back leg.

The diet of a squirrel is mainly herbivorous, consisting of seeds and nuts, yet some do eat insects and small vertebrates. Squirrels can not easily digest cellulose so they have to eat foods that are rich in proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Like most animals that are prey to other animals squirrels have their eyes on the sides of their head. This gives them a further range of sight so they are more likely to see any stalking predators. The eyesight of a squirrel is highly developed.

As most squirrels are very good at climbing, their claws are well developed so they can hold onto tree bark.