Squirrel on tree .mp4 Squirrel on tree .mp4 Tree squirrel
Small tree-dwelling mammals that are members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae)

Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels". They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania.


Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

A squirrel in the University of Cambridge Botanic Gardens
They do not form a single natural, or 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 includes the eastern gray squirrel of North America (introduced to Great Britain in the 1870s), the red squirrel of Eurasia, and the North American fox squirrel, among many others. Many tree squirrel species have adapted to human-altered environments such as rural farms, suburban backyards and urban parks.

Classification

Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Current taxonomy, based on genetic data, splits the tree squirrels into several subfamilies. The following genera of the squirrel family are classified as tree squirrels.

Subfamily Ratufinae
Genus Ratufa (Asian giant squirrels)
Subfamily Sciurillinae
Genus Sciurillus (South American pygmy squirrel)
Subfamily Sciurinae
Tribe Sciurini (mostly American tree squirrels)
Genus Microsciurus (American dwarf squirrels)
Genus Rheithrosciurus (Borneo tufted ground squirrel)
Genus Sciurus (Eurasian and American tree squirrels)
Genus Syntheosciurus (Central American mountain squirrel)
Genus Tamiasciurus (American pine squirrels)
Subfamily Callosciurinae (Asian tree squirrels)
Genus Callosciurus (Oriental tree squirrels, introduced into Europe and South America)
Genus Exilisciurus (Asian pygmy squirrels)
Genus Funambulus (Asian palm squirrels, introduced into Australia in the 1920s)
Genus Glyphotes (sculptor squirrel)
Genus Nannosciurus (Asian dwarf squirrel)
Genus Prosciurillus (Sulawesi dwarf squirrels)
Genus Rubrisciurus (Sulawesi giant squirrel)
Genus Sundasciurus (Sunda squirrels)
Genus Tamiops (Asian striped squirrels)
Subfamily Xerinae
Tribe Protoxerini (African tree squirrels)
Genus Epixerus (African palm squirrels)
Genus Funisciurus (rope squirrels)
Genus Heliosciurus (sun squirrels)
Genus Myosciurus (African pygmy squirrel)
Genus Paraxerus (bush squirrels)
Genus Protoxerus (African giant squirrels)

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