Animal of the Month: 13 nutty squirrel species [slideshow]

Mammalian Species

In order to celebrate the myriad of animals that inhabit planet Earth, we're featuring a different animal every month through our Animal of the Month series. Keep a look out for #AnimalOTM across social media.

January 25^th 2018

To help you appreciate squirrels in celebration of Squirrel Appreciation Day earlier this month, take a gander at a selection of a diverse range of members of the Sciuridae family in the slideshow below. Most of these critters belong to the Sciurus genus which is from the ancient Greek, “skia” meaning shadow or shade, and “oura” for tail. Despite the variation within these different members of the same family, the evolutionary record shows that squirrels have actually changed very little over millions of years. If it ain’t broke…

Sciurus anomalus

Commonly called the Caucasian squirrel. Found in forests of the Middle East and extreme southwestern Asia, its call resembles that of the green woodpecker – whether a coincidence, a way of outwitting predators, or a penchant for mimicry we just couldn’t say.

Image: Sciurus anomalus – Jeita Grotto by Peripitus. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus

Unlucky for some, this is the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. While better insulated than other ground squirrels, drops in temperature act as an arousal stimulus during periods of hibernation – though if it gets too cold (approaching zero degrees Celsius) then this poor little chum might not wake up at all.

Image: 13 lined ground squirrel by Laetitia C. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurius niger

Male and female fox squirrels can’t be distinguished by size or colour and fossils from the miocene epoch (approx 23-5 million years ago) are also indistinguishable from the modern ancestors – they’ve clearly found a winning formula.

Image: Fox squirrel by Arthur Mouratidis. CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurus variegatoides

The epithet ‘variegatoides’ probably refers to the variable coloration of this species. Send in photos of any blue ones you might come across!

Image: Variegated Squirrel at Montezuma, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica by Hans Hillewaert. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurus aureogaster

Commonly called the red-bellied squirrel (but is quite variable in colour as this photo might prove), this squirrel enjoys the usual diet of acorns and pine but also occasionally treats itself to corn and cacao – it can’t resist that chocolatey goodness.

Image: Mexican gray squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) on branch by Gerardo Noriega. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

The pine squirrel is easily recognized by its small size, reddish back, white belly, and slightly tufted ears, and is native to the northern United States and Canada.

Image: American red squirrel eating a nut by Connormah. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurus carolinensis

You can tell the age of the eastern gray squirrel by their tail molt pattern and pigmentation, the pigmentation of their bodies, and the colouration of their genitals.

Image: An Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in St James’s Park, London, England by Diliff. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Tamiasciurus douglasii

For most species of tree squirrels body size tends to increase with latitude. However, this little fella is one of the smallest and live at the highest latitudes. Their small size gives them the advantage of being more agile when scurrying around the small conifer branches.

Image: Douglas Squirrel on a Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis) branch by Walter Siegmund. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurus aberti

For most species of tree squirrels body size tends to increase with latitude. However, this little fella is one of the smallest and lives at the highest latitudes. Their small size gives them the advantage of being more agile when scurrying around the small conifer branches.

Image: Douglas Squirrel on a Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis) branch by Walter Siegmund. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Marmota caligata

The marmot with many names including groundhog, whistling pig whistler of the rocks, rockchuck, mountain marmot, and most suitable for fantasy fiction: the watcher of the crags. We’re not sure which ones they prefer to answer to.

Image: Marmota caligata (Hoary Marmot) by Steven Pavlov. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Sciurus griseus

The western gray squirrel is the largest squirrel within its range. It has dichromatic vision meaning that it only sees in two colours.

Image: A western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) on a branch, looking something above it by Aaron Jacobs. CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Cynomys parvidens

The Utah prairie dog has been in and out of the endangered species list a few times since 1968 due to massive culls reducing their population significantly. Its status was last assessed in 2008 and is currently classified as endangered.

Image: Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys parvidens) – Bryce Canyon National Park by Chin tin tin. CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Tamias minimus

Also known as the least chipmunk, this smallest – and perhaps cutest – member of the Sciuridae family is commonly found in North America among sagebrush and coniferous forest habitats.

Image: Tamias minimus by Phil Armitage. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.