Squirrel
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 Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis
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Squirrel is the common name for rodents of the family Sciuridae . In everyday speech in the English-speaking world, it usually refers to tree squirrels, which are members of the genera Sciurus and Tamiasciurus. They are indigenous to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Similar genera are found in Africa. The Sciuridae family, called sciurids, also includes flying squirrels, and ground squirrels such as the chipmunks, prairie dogs, and woodchucks. Sciurids are found in all continents except Australia and Antarctica.
The scaly-tailed flying squirrels of Africa are not sciurids but members of another rodent family, Anomaluridae.
Sciuridae family
Sciurids, like all rodents, are noted for their teeth. They have a pair of large incisors on the upper and one on the lower jaw which grow continuously and need to be kept short and sharpened by frequent gnawing. (The word "rodent" comes from the Latin word for "gnawing".) The second pair of incisors, the canines, and the first premolars are missing creating a gap between the incisors and the grinding teeth. In most squirrels these are large and the jaw muscles are strong and well developed.
Young sciurids are born hairless and helpless. In almost all species the mother builds a nest to keep the young warm and protected.
Sciurids live in a wide range of environments from tropical forests to deserts and mountains. Most eat mainly plant food along with occasional insects and other animal food. The long-nosed squirrel of southeast Asia (Rhinosciurus laticaudatus) is an exception and eats mostly insects (Nowak 1986).
Most sciurids living in environments with cold winters build warm nests, either underground or in trees, and survive the winter by hibernating or by storing food.
Tree squirrels
Tree squirrels inhabit the forests of Eurasia and North and South America. Typical tree squirrels include the European red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris); the fox squirrel (S. niger); the Eastern ray squirrel (S. carolinensis); the Western gray squirrel (S. griseus); the Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii); and the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Tree squirrels, as the name suggests, are arboreal, spending most of their time in trees.
Tree squirrels are medium sized for rodents weighing from 150 to 2000 grams (). They are covered with thick fur which can vary in color from brown to red to black or evern white. The tail is long and also thickly furred and is used for balance, to help slow and control falls and jumps, to provide warmth and shade, to distract predators, and to signal other squirrels (Nowak 1986, Voelker 1986).
Unlike rabbits and most ungulates such as deer, the digestive systems of squirrels cannot digest cellulose. They must rely on foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels, since buried nuts begin to sprout and new food sources have not become available yet. During these times squirrels rely heavily on the buds of trees, in particular, those of the silver maple. Squirrels are omnivores; they eat a wide variety of plant food, including nuts, seeds, fruits, fungus, and green vegetation, and they also eat insects, eggs, small birds, small mammals, frogs, and carrion.
One well-known trait of some species of tree squirrels is the gathering and storing of nuts and seeds for the winter. These squirrels are scatter-hoarders; they will gather nuts and seeds and store them in any accessible hiding place, usually by burying them. This plays a vital role for the forest because a few of nuts and seeds that are not eaten grow into new trees and the forest is maintained. Tree squirrels are also an important food source for many predators, including owls,
Tree squirrels and humans
Squirrels are generally clever and persistent animals; in residential neighborhoods they are notorious for eating out of bird feeders, digging in potted plants either to bury or recover seeds, and for setting up house in sheltered areas including attics. While many companies sell bird feeders which are supposedly “squirrel-proof”, very few of them really are.
Squirrels are sometimes also pests because they chew on various edible and inedible objects; the habit helps keep the squirrel's teeth sharp and also wears them down (rodents' teeth grow continuously). Homeowners in areas with a heavy squirrel population must keep attics and basements carefully sealed to prevent property damage caused by nesting squirrels. Some homeowners resort to more interesting ways of dealing with this problem, such as collecting and planting fur from pets (such as domestic cats and dogs) in attics. This fur will indicate to nesting squirrels that a potential predator roams and will encourage evacuation. Fake owls and scarecrows are generally ignored by the animals, and the best way to prevent chewing on an object is to coat it with something to make it undesirable: for instance a soft cloth or chili pepper paste or powder. Squirrel trapping is also practiced to remove them from residential areas.
Squirrels can be trained to be hand-fed. Because they are able to cache surplus food, they will take as much food as is available. Squirrels living in parks and campuses in cities have learned that humans are typically a ready source of food. Hand feeding is not recommended, however, because squirrels may carry plague or other animal-borne diseases. Even if they do not carry disease, they often have a hard time telling fingertips from food, and bites are painful.
Squirrels are often the cause of electricity outages. The animals will enter transformers or capacitors looking for food. The squirrels are then electrocuted and cause a power surge that shorts equipment. Squirrels have brought down the high-tech NASDAQ stock market twice and were responsible for a spate of power outages at the University of Alabama [1]. They will often chew on tree branches to sharpen their teeth but cannot tell the difference between a tree branch and a live power line. Rubber plates are sometimes used to prevent access to these facilities.
Squirrels caused 177 power outages in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1980, which was 24% of all outages. Estimated annual costs were $23,364 for repairs, public relations, and lost revenue. In Omaha, in 1985, squirrels caused 332 outages costing at least $47,144. After squirrel guards were installed over pole-mounted transformers in Lincoln in 1985, annual costs were reduced 78% to $5,148.[citation needed]
Urban squirrels have learned to get a great deal of food from generous humans. One of the more common and inexpensive foods fed to squirrels is peanuts. Recent studies however have shown that raw peanuts contain a trypsin inhibitor that prevents the absorption of protein in the intestine. Dr. James K. Kieswetter of Eastern Washington University suggests using roasted peanuts instead.[2] However, wildlife rehabilitators in the field have noted that neither raw and roasted peanuts or sunflower seeds are good for squirrels, since they are deficient in several nutrients needed. This type of deficiency has been found to cause Metabolic Bone Disease, a somewhat common ailment found in malnourished squirrels.[3] [4]
Until recent times, squirrel meat was considered a favored meat in certain regions of the United States where it can be listed as wild game. This is evidenced by extensive recipes for its preparation found in cookbooks including The Joy of Cooking. Squirrel meat can easily be exchanged for rabbit or chicken in recipes. Its light red or pink flesh has only a slight game taste. In many areas of the U.S., particularly areas of the American South, squirrels are hunted for food.
A recent finding of lead in a New Jersey landfill has prompted government officials to warn those who do consume squirrel meat to exercise caution.
Despite periodic complaints about the animal as a pest, general public opinion towards the animal is favorable, thanks to its appearance and movement and its habit of gathering and storing nuts. Squirrels are popular characters in cartoons and children's books, such as the works of Beatrix Potter and Rocky, Bullwinkle's partner in adventures.
Albino squirrels are thought by some to be a source of good luck. The Albino Squirrel Preservation Society was founded at the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. Olney, Illinois, is home of the world's largest known albino-squirrel colony. Kenton, Tennessee, is home to about 200 albino squirrels. Brevard, North Carolina, also has a substantial population of albino squirrels.
The word squirrelled, meaning to have hidden items away, is arguably the longest one-syllable word in the English language, with eleven letters. However, this is true only in certain dialects of American English; in many American English and all British English accents, it has two syllables.
Squirrels are often referred to as "tree rats", "rats with bushy tails", or "harveys" by people who dislike them and consider them pests. The word "Squirrel" is sometimes used to describe someone who is a 'goof' or 'clown' (that is, he is a squirrel or is squirrely). The word "squirrely" also means "unpredictable", "shakey", or "a bit hard to control", when used in conjunction with the controls or handling of machinery.
Other Sciuridae
Flying squirrels
The flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of squirrels (family Sciuridae). There are 43 species in this tribe, the largest of which is the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus). The 2 species of the genus Glaucomys (Glaucomys sabrinus and Glaucomys volans) are native to North America, and the Siberian flying squirrel is native to parts of northern Europe (Pteromys volans).
The term "flying" is somewhat of a misnomer, since flying squirrels are actually gliders incapable of true flight. Gliding is achieved by this animal by launching off the tops of trees and extending flaps of skin stretched from arms to legs: once they have launched themselves into the air they are highly maneuverable while in flight. Steering is accomplished by adjusting tautness of the patagium, largely controlled by a small cartilaginous wrist bone. The tail acts as a stabilizer in flight, much like the tail of a kite, and as an adjunct aerofoil when "braking" prior to landing on a tree trunk.
Chipmunks
Chipmunk is the common name for any small rodent species of the genus Tamias in the family Sciuridae. About 23 species fall under this title (currently), with one species in northeastern Asia, one in the eastern portions of Canada and the United States, and the rest native to the western part of North America. The name may have originally been spelled "chitmunk" (from the Odawa word jidmoonh, meaning "red squirrel"; c.f. Ojibwe, ajidamoo). However, the earliest form cited in the Oxford English Dictionary (from 1842) is "chipmonk". Other early forms include "chipmuck" and "chipminck", and in the 1830s they were also referred to as "chip squirrels", possibly in reference to the sound they make. They are also called striped squirrel or ground squirrel; however, the name "ground squirrel" is more usually kept for the genus Spermophilus, though Tamias and Spermophilus are only two of the 13 genera of ground-living sciurids.
These small squirrels fulfill several important functions in forest ecosystems. Their activities with regards to harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in seedling establishment. They also consume many different kinds of fungi, including those involved in symbiotic mycorrhizal associations with trees, and are an important vector for dispersal of the spores of subterranean sporocarps (truffles) which have co-evolved with these and other mycophagous mammals and thus lost the ability to disperse their spores through the air.
Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds, but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and nestlings. In Oregon, Mountain Bluebirds (Siala currucoides) have been observed energetically mobbing chipmunks that they see near their nest trees.
Prairie dogs
The prairie dog (Cynomys) is a small, burrowing rodent native to the grasslands of North America. On average, this stout-bodied rodent will grow to be between 12 and 16 inches (30 and 40 cm) long, including its short tail. They are found throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the United States, prairie dogs are primarily found west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced into a few eastern locales.
Marmots
Marmots are members of the genus Marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels).
Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevadas in the United States or the European Alps. However the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, while the similarly-sized but more social prairie dog is not classified in the genus Marmota but in the related genus Cynomys.
Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.
The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck or whistlepig, is a member of the large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots, such as yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. In the west it is found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and northern Washington.
Sciuridae taxonomy
The squirrel family is divided into 5 sub-families, 51 genera and 278 species.
- Family Sciuridae
- Subfamily Ratufinae
- Ratufa
- Subfamily Sciurillinae
- Sciurillus
- Subfamily Sciurinae
- Tribe Sciurini
- Microsciurus
- Rheithrosciurus
- Sciurus
- Syntheosciurus
- Tamiasciurus
- Tribe Pteromyini
- Aeretes
- Aeromys
- Belomys
- Biswamoyopterus
- Eoglaucomys
- Eupetaurus
- Glaucomys
- Hylopetes
- Iomys
- Petaurillus
- Petaurista
- Petinomys
- Pteromys
- Pteromyscus
- Trogopterus
- Tribe Sciurini
- Subfamily Callosciurinae
- Callosciurus
- Dremomys
- Exilisciurus
- Funambulus
- Glyphotes
- Hyosciurus
- Lariscus
- Menetes
- Nannosciurus
- Prosciurillus
- Rubrisciurus
- Sundasciurus
- Tamiops
- Subfamily Xerinae
- Tribe Xerini
- Atlantoxerus
- Spermophilopsis
- Xerus
- Tribe Protoxerini
- Epixerus
- Funisciurus
- Heliosciurus
- Myosciurus
- Paraxerus
- Protoxerus
- Tribe Marmotini
- Ammospermophilus
- Cynomys
- Marmota
- Sciurotamias
- Spermophilus
- Tamias
- Tribe Xerini
- Subfamily Ratufinae
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Caras, R.A. 1967. North American Mammals. New York: Galahad Books
- Henisch, B.A. 1970. Chipmunk Portrait. State College, Pennsylvania: The Carnation Press
- MacClintock, D. 1970. Squirrels of North America. New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold Company
- Nichols, John D. and Earl Nyholm (1995). A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
- Nowak, R. M., and J. L. Paradiso. 1983. Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801825253.
- Steppan, S. J. B. L. Storz, and R. S. Hoffmann. 2004. Nuclear DNA phylogeny of the squirrels
(Mammalia: Rodentia) and the evolution of arboreality from c-myc and RAG1. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 30:703-719.
- Thorington, 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.
- Voelker, W. 1986. The Natural History of Living Mammals. Medford, New Jersey: Plexus Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0937548081.
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