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Sciuridae
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormice. Etymology The word ''squirrel'', first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman which is from the Old French , the reflex of a Latin word , which was taken from the Ancient Greek word (; from ) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have. The native Old English word for the squirrel, , survived only into Middle English (as ) before being replaced. The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sciurini
Sciurini is a tribe (taxonomy), tribe that includes about forty species of squirrels,Thorington and Hoffmann, 2005, p. 754 mostly from the Americas. It includes five living genera—the American dwarf squirrels, ''Microsciurus''; the Bornean ''Rheithrosciurus''; the widespread American and Eurasian tree squirrels of the genus ''Sciurus'', which includes some of the best known squirrel species; the Central American ''Syntheosciurus''; and the American pine squirrels, ''Pine squirrel, Tamiasciurus''. Like other arboreal squirrels, they are sometimes referred to as tree squirrels. Taxonomy The name "Sciurini" was first employed by Hermann Burmeister in 1854, who used it for the entire squirrel family. In his influential 1945 classification of mammals, George Gaylord Simpson included four genus, genera of squirrels in Sciurini, which he recognized as one of eight tribe (taxonomy), tribes within the subfamily Sciurinae (including all squirrels except the flying squirrels): ''Sciuru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tree Squirrel
Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel Family (biology), family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels." They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania. They do not form a single natural, or monophyly, monophyletic, group; they are variously related to others in the squirrel family, including ground squirrels, flying squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks. The defining characteristic used to determine which species of Sciuridae are tree squirrels is dependent on their habitat rather than their physiology. Tree squirrels live mostly among trees, as opposed to those that live in burrows in the ground or among rocks. An exception is the flying squirrel that also makes its home in trees, but has a physiological distinction separating it from its tree squirrel cousins: special flaps of skin called patagia, acting as glider wings, which allow gliding flight. The best known genus of tree squirrels is ''Sciurus'', which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sciurinae
Sciurinae is a subfamily of squirrels (in the family Sciuridae), uniting the flying squirrels with certain related tree squirrels. Older sources place the flying squirrels in a separate subfamily (Pteromyinae) and unite all remaining sciurids into the subfamily Sciurinae, but this has been strongly refuted by genetic studies. Classification Subfamily SciurinaeThorington, R. W. and R. S. Hoffmann. 2005. Family Sciuridae. pp 754–818 in Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. walker's mammals of the world 5th edition Volume 1 *Tribe Sciurini **Genus ''Microsciurus'' – American dwarf squirrels ***Central American dwarf squirrel, ''M. alfari'' ***Amazon dwarf squirrel, ''M. flaviventer'' ***Western dwarf squirrel, ''M. mimulus'' ***Santander dwarf squirrel, ''M. santanderensis'' **Genus '' Rheithrosciurus'' *** Tufted ground squirrel, ''R. macrotis'' **Genus ''Sciurus'' ***Subgenus ''Sciurus'' ****Allen's squirrel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sciurus
The genus ''Sciurus'' contains most of the common, bushy-tailed squirrels in North America, Europe, temperate Asia, Central America and South America. Species The number of species in the genus is subject to change. In 2005, Thorington & Hoffman- whose taxonomic interpretation is followed by the IUCN website- accepted 28 species in the genus: Genus ''Sciurus'' *Subgenus ''Sciurus'' **Allen's squirrel, ''Sciurus alleni'' **Arizona gray squirrel, ''Sciurus arizonensis'' **Mexican gray squirrel, ''Sciurus aureogaster'' **Eastern gray squirrel, ''Sciurus carolinensis'' **Collie's squirrel, ''Sciurus colliaei'' **Deppe's squirrel, ''Sciurus deppei'' **Japanese squirrel, ''Sciurus lis'' **Calabrian black squirrel, ''Sciurus meridionalis'' **Mexican fox squirrel, ''Sciurus nayaritensis'' **Fox squirrel, ''Sciurus niger'' ** Peters's squirrel, ''Sciurus oculatus'' **Variegated squirrel, ''Sciurus variegatoides'' **Eurasian red squirrel, ''Sciurus vulgaris'' **Yucatan squirrel, ''Sciur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marmot
Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground. They are the heaviest members of the squirrel family. Description Marmots are large rodents with characteristically short but robust legs, enlarged claws which are well adapted to digging, stout bodies, and large heads and incisors to quickly process a variety of vegetation. While most species are various forms of earthen-hued brown, marmots vary in fur coloration based roughly on their surroundings. Species in more open habitat are more likely to have a paler color, while those sometimes found in well-forested regions tend to be darker. Marmots are the heaviest members of the squirrel family. Total length varies typically from about and body mass averages about in spring in the smaller species and in aut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ground Squirrel
Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents (Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots (genus ''Marmota'') or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as chipmunks (genus ''Tamias''). Together, they make up the "marmot tribe" of squirrels, Marmotini, a division within the large and mainly ground squirrel subfamily Xerinae, and containing six living genera. Well-known members of this largely Holarctic group are the marmots (''Marmota''), including the American groundhog, the chipmunks, the susliks (''Spermophilus''), and the prairie dogs (''Cynomys''). They are highly variable in size and habitus, but most are remarkably able to rise up on their hind legs and stand fully erect comfortably for prolonged periods. They also tend to be far more gregarious than other sq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flying Squirrel
Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they are able to glide from one tree to another with the aid of a patagium, a furred parachute-like skin membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle. Their long tails also provide stability as they glide. Anatomically they are very similar to other squirrels with a number of adaptations to suit their lifestyle; their limb bones are longer and their hand bones, foot bones, and distal vertebrae are shorter. Flying squirrels are able to steer and exert control over their glide path with their limbs and tail. Molecular studies have shown that flying squirrels are monophyletic and originated some 18–20 million years ago. The genus Paracitellus is the earliest lineage to the flying squirrel dating back to the late Oligocene era. Most are nocturnal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Ground Squirrel
The Cape ground squirrel or South African ground squirrel (''Geosciurus inauris'') is found in most of the drier parts of southern Africa from South Africa, through to Botswana, and into Namibia, including Etosha National Park. The name ''Cape'' ground squirrel is somewhat misleading as it actually has a much wider area of habitation. This common name may have been arrived at to distinguish it from a tree squirrel (the eastern grey squirrel) found around Cape Town, which was imported from Europe by Cecil John Rhodes. The species has also been known as the fan-tailed squirrel. Description The Cape ground squirrel has black skin with a coat made of short stiff hairs without underfur. The fur is cinnamon on the back while the face, underbelly, sides of neck and ventral sides of limbs are white.Skurski, D., J. Waterman. 2005. "Xerus inauris", ''Mammalian Species'' 781:1-4. The sides of its body each have a white stripe that stretches from the shoulders to the thighs. The eyes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prairie Dog
Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. Within the genus are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico, prairie dogs are found primarily in the northern states, which lie at the southern end of the Great Plains: northeastern Sonora, north and northeastern Chihuahua, northern Coahuila, northern Nuevo León, and northern Tamaulipas. In the United States, they range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales. They are also found in the Canadian Prairies. Despite the name, they are not actually canines; prairie dogs, along with the marmots, chipmunks, and several other basal genera belong to the ground squirrels (tribe ''Marmotini''), part of the larger squirrel family (''Sciuridae''). Prairie dogs are considered a keystone species with their mounds often being used by other s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as a single genus, ''Tamias'', or as three genera: ''Tamias'', of which the eastern chipmunk (''T. striatus'') is the only living member; ''Eutamias'', of which the Siberian chipmunk (''E. sibiricus'') is the only living member; and ''Neotamias'', which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western North American, species. These classifications were treated as subgenera due to the chipmunks' morphological similarities. As a result, most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks into a single genus. However, studies of mitochondrial DNA show that the divergence between each of the three chipmunk groups is comparable to the genetic differences between ''Marmota'' and ''Spermophilus'', so the three genera classifications have b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sciurillinae
The Neotropical pygmy squirrel (''Sciurillus pusillus'') is a South American species of tree squirrel, being the only living species in the genus ''Sciurillus'' and the subfamily Sciurillinae. Genetic analysis has shown it to be the sister group to all other squirrels. Description The Neotropical pygmy squirrel is the smallest species of tree squirrel native to the Americas, measuring on average just in head-body length, with an 11-cm tail. Adults weigh from . The fur is grizzled grey over the body, with paler, but not sharply contrasting, fur on the underparts. The head is slightly reddish, with distinct white markings behind the ears, which are shorter and more rounded than on most other tree squirrels. The limbs are slender, with the fore limbs elongated to assist in climbing. Females have six teats. Distribution and habitat Neotropical pygmy squirrels inhabit at least four widely separated regions in northern South America, in French Guiana, Suriname, central Brazil, nort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prevost's Squirrel
Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-colored squirrel (''Callosciurus prevostii'') is a colourful species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. Although the Prevost's squirrel is declining in some regions because of habitat loss and hunting, the species is not considered threatened since it generally remains common and widespread. It can live in somewhat disturbed habitats and often visits plantations or gardens. It mostly feeds on plant material, especially fruits, but also takes insects. Appearance and taxonomy The Prevost's squirrel is a medium-sized squirrel, but one of the larger species in its range, although clearly surpassed by the giant squirrels and giant flying squirrels. The head-and-body of the Prevost's squirrel typically is long and the tail length is about the same; it weighs . Individuals from small islands tend to be smalle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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