Sciurillus- Genus name for a single species, the Neotropical pygmy squirrel, which is found in the Guianas, Northeast Brazil, and the Amazon basin of Peru.
Sciurotamias- Genus name for 2 species of rock squirrel inhabiting China.
Sciurus- Largest genus of tree squirrels, containing 31 species. They range throughout Europe, the Middle East and northern Asia and throughout North America and the northern half of South America.
Spermophilopsis-Genus containing a single species, the long-clawed ground squirrel, which is found in the Middle East.
Sundasciurus- Genus containing 13 species of tree squirrel found from Thailand to throughout Indonesia and southern Philipines.
Spermophilus- Largest genus of ground squirrels, containing 36 species. They range from western Europe to Siberia and Alaska to northern Mexico.
Squirrel- Generally, any rodent of the family Sciuridae (order Rodentia); the name is sometimes restricted to the familiar, bushy-tailed, arboreal species. Squirrels are found almost worldwide, in a variety of habitats, including forests, deserts, plains, and tundra. There are about 50 genera and 260 species, among them the ground squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks.
Many squirrels are arboreal. Some (as marmots) are terrestrial; others (flying squirrels) glide from tree to tree by means of furry flaps of skin connecting their forelegs and hind legs. All squirrels have strong hindlegs and well-developed, hairy tails. They differ widely in colour and markings and vary in form from slender (flying squirrels) to stout (marmots). Total length ranges from about 10 centimetres (4 inches) in the African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio) to about 90 cm in the giant squirrels (Ratufa) of Asia.
All squirrels except the gliders are diurnal. Tree dwellers are agile, live in tree hollows or nests built of leaves and twigs, and are usually active throughout the year. Ground dwellers live in burrows, and many become dormant in winter (hibernate) or summer (estivate). Squirrels are primarily vegetarian and are noted for their fondness for seeds and nuts. Some species eat insects or supplement their diets with animal protein. Females bear one or more litters a year, of 1 to 15 young; gestation is 22 to 45 days.
The genus Sciurus, with about 55 species found through most of Eurasia and the New World, includes such familiar arboreal squirrels as the Eurasian red squirrel (S. vulgaris) and the gray and fox squirrels (S. carolinensis and S. niger) of the east central United States. Members of this genus spend much time in the trees, occasionally descending to forage or to bury nuts in the ground. They are about 20 to 30 cm long, excluding tails of about the same length, and are generally gray, grayish to blackish brown, or reddish brown, with white to reddish brown underparts. Some, such as the Eurasian red squirrel, have tufted ears.
Gray and fox squirrels have been introduced into western North America and (gray squirrel) into Britain and South Africa. The Eurasian red squirrel, which in colder climates sometimes is hunted for its thick winter fur, is a native of forests from Britain to Japan. In parts of Britain, it has been replaced by the gray squirrel.
The North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus) are highly vocal, reddish brown animals that live primarily in coniferous forests and habitually collect large stores of pinecones for winter use. There are two species: the red, or spruce, squirrel (T. hudsonicus), found from Alaska to New Mexico and South Carolina; and the Douglas squirrel, or chickaree (T. douglasii), found from British Columbia to California. The former is about 20 cm long, without the 10- to 15-cm tail, and has white underparts; the Douglas squirrel is slightly smaller and has reddish brown underparts.
There are a number of arboreal squirrels native to Africa. Notable species include: the giant forest squirrel (Protoxerus
stangeri), a speckled brownish or blackish animal; about a dozen species of African striped squirrels (Funisciurus), with one or more longitudinal stripes on their backs; about 12 species of African bush squirrels (Paraxerus), which are speckled grayish yellow to bright reddish brown, with or without stripes; and sun squirrels (Heliosciurus), which are solid-coloured, sometimes greenish squirrels.
There are also a number of tree-dwelling squirrels in Asia. Among them are: Asiatic striped palm squirrels (Funambulus), chipmunk-like, gray brown to blackish animals; four species of giant, or rock, squirrels (Ratufa), agile, variably coloured squirrels whose coats may be white, black, yellowish to reddish brown, or gray; and Oriental tree squirrels (Callosciurus, about 20 species), which are thick-furred, often brightly coloured inhabitants of eastern Asia. Copyright (c) 1994, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Squirrel Lover's Club, The- An international organization whose membership is open to squirrel lovers of all ages. The club was started in 1995 and currently has over 800 members including Chuck and LuAnn Best, the owners of Twiggy - The Waterskiing Squirrel.
Syntheosciurus- Genus name for two rare species known as mountain squirrels, which are found in Panama and Costa Rica.
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Tamias- Genus name for the 23 species of chipmunk inhabiting northern Mexico, most of the USA, Canada, and Siberia.
Tamiasciurus- Genus name for the 2 species of pine squirrel (red and Douglas squirrels) found in northern and western USA and most of Canada and Alaska.
Tamiops- Genus name for 4 species of striped squirrel found in China, Vietnam, Laos, Taiwan, Nepal, Burma, Malaya, and Cambodia.
Tassel-eared squirrel- See Abert's squirrel.
Trogopterus- Genus name for a single species, the Complex-toothed flying squirrel, which is found in China.
Twiggy- The famous water-skiing squirrel. There have been two predecessors of this amazing animal, and the first started her fascinating feats in 1978. After her nine-year life, two more squirrels were proud to bear the name Twiggy and continue the first Twiggy's water-skiing talent. In late 1997, the owner of Twiggy, Chuck Best, passed away but Twiggy is still in the care of Chuck's wife Luanne.
Twiggy
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Walnut- One of a squirrel's many favorite foods. Walnuts are cultivated in many countries. Deep, dark and an intricate taste is offered by walnuts. The walnut is native to SE Europe and West & Central Asia and has been cultivated in the UK, California and China. The walnut tree is a highly sought after timber. The oil of the nut has been used for centuries in the preparation of artists fine paints. The
black walnut is native to North America and was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. The butternut walnut is also from North America. These two American varieties have thicker shells than the standard European walnuts. This is probably because the plants adapted to the fact that American squirrels have stronger teeth than European squirrels. Information provided by: Nuts4U
Western Gray Squirrel- see Gray Squirrel, Western
White squirrel- White squirrels are the albino form of the Eastern gray squirrel. Not one, but three towns use albino squirrels as their claims to fame, and none is particularly happy about the others. Kenton, TN, has about 200 of the furry rodents. Residents insist that the squirrels "have been here the longest" and claim the squirrels were left by a "Gypsy caravan" in 1869. Is Kenton, we asked, where the other towns got their white squirrels? "Well, they had to come from somewhere." Olney, IL, is the loudest booster of all albino squirrel towns, titling itself Home of the White Squirrels. It scoffs at the other towns' albinos. "Most of theirs have dark eyes," they told us. Laws on the Olney books give the squirrels right-of-way on every street; residents are fined if they try leave town with one. Local police patches bear an outline of a bushy-tailed albino. Big Squirrel is watching you. Olney has overhyped themselves, according to a Marionville, MO, spokesperson. "They've got our backs up," Marionville told us, an opinion they've held ever since Olney appeared on the Today Show in 1965. Marionville believes that the squirrels arrived in town "just after the Civil War" and that they escaped from a travelling circus. "The squirrels in Olney were kidnapped from Marionville," they explain. Common gray squirrels found in Marionville are trapped and kicked out. Not all white squirrels are albino. In Brevard, North Carolina, the white squirrels are theorized as another species, possibly brought there from Asia. The eyes are black instead of pink. Info provided by: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/squirrels.html
White Squirrel
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Xerus- Genus name for 4 species of ground squirrel found throughout Africa, except for the Sahara.
Ground Squirrel belonging to the genus Xerus.
