If you live in an area with trees, chances are you’ve seen a squirrel or two. But what do you know about these creatures? Here are some interesting facts about squirrels that may surprise you.
The Meaning & Origins Of The Name Squirrel
The origin and meaning of the name “squirrel” have fascinated people for centuries. At Affordable Animal Control, we know that squirrels are more than just animals in your yard—they are part of the squirrel family, including species like eastern gray squirrels, douglas squirrels, and northern flying squirrels.
The name squirrel may have come from two Greek words: skiouros, from “skia,” meaning “shadow,” and “oura,” meaning “tail,” which perfectly describes the bushy-tailed appearance of most species in the squirrel family. This shadow-tailed description could refer to how the hind limbs and front and back legs of a squirrel cast a shadow as it moves about, especially when foraging for food or resting in tree hollows. Another possibility is the Anglo-Saxon word “scirfe,” meaning “bushy-tailed creature.” Whatever the origin, these common squirrels are a familiar sight in mature forests and human environments, where they continue to thrive.
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13 Sensational Things About Squirrels You Might Already Know
At Affordable Wildlife Removal, we know that squirrel problems can go beyond simple nuisance.
- The genus Ratufa includes large squirrels found in tropical regions, demonstrating the wide variety within the squirrel family.
- Adult squirrels are known for their tendency to chew on tree bark and other items in their environment, which helps keep their ever-growing teeth in check.
- Some rare species, like the neotropical pygmy squirrel and oriental giant squirrels, live in specific habitats that differ from the more common native tree squirrels like the eastern gray squirrel and thirteen-lined ground squirrel.
- Feeding squirrels can lead to increased populations and more squirrel nests, particularly in areas where squirrels thrive due to abundant food sources.
- Although squirrels can carry diseases such as the squirrel parapox virus, their survival is bolstered by complex behaviours like the scramble competition mating system, which helps maintain healthy populations.
- Squirrels use their hind feet for agile climbing, and while some are nocturnal animals, most are active during the day.
- In urban areas, the same species of squirrels can adapt to different environments, and the squirrel family includes many species native to North American mammals.
- On Southern Vancouver Island, some squirrels have even been found to collect animal bones for the minerals they contain.
- Squirrels have established urban populations in cities worldwide, adapting to other species and using their own fur to line their nests.
- Canada is home to four species of squirrels, all of which are commonly found rummaging through garbage bins in urban areas.
- While certain species are more common on the southern coast, squirrels can be found in many habitats, including city parks, due to their adaptable nature.
- Humane methods are essential in managing squirrel populations, especially in areas where most mammals coexist with humans.
- Squirrels have four or five toes on their feet, and their slender bodies allow them to move quickly, whether they’re climbing trees or foraging.
The different types of Tree Squirrels & Ground Dwelling Squirrels
Most squirrel species are widely known as those furry rodents with bushy tails, but there is much more to them than meets the eye! There are over 280 species of squirrel – including tree, ground, flying, and even pygmy squirrels. Tree squirrels live high up in trees. Ground squirrels take up residence either under the ground or deep in burrows. Flying squirrels have flaps of skin that enable them to glide from one tree to the next. Lastly, pygmy squirrels are no bigger than 2 inches long! Each type of squirrel has its own unique traits and habitats that make a fascinating addition to any ecosystem.
RED SQUIRREL

American Red Squirrels – are small animals found throughout North America. They have reddish-brown fur, rounded ears, and a bushy tail. Red squirrels are active during the day and specialize in gathering and storing nuts for winter. To build their food caches, they will bury nuts or seeds under the bark or soil of trees or stumps.
Red squirrels communicate with one another through a variety of vocalizations, body postures, and movements. They also use scent marks to communicate territorial boundaries with one another. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and buds, but they occasionally eat eggs, bugs, or small mammals if food is scarce.
The red squirrel lives in coniferous forests with open canopies and old-growth forests with dense canopies; they often shelter in tree cavities. In addition to being an important part of many North American ecosystems, red squirrels are also a beloved sight amongst nature enthusiasts due to their often playful personalities and mischievous behaviour.
EASTERN GREY SQUIRREL

Eastern Grey Squirrels – Sciurus Carolinensis, commonly known as the eastern grey squirrel, are one of North America’s most commonly seen mammals. They have soft grey fur with white bellies and a white tip at the end of their tail. grey squirrels are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and sleep at night.
Eastern Gray Squirrels prefer to live in wooded areas like parks, forests, and suburban yards that provide fare and shelter. They eat nuts, insects on fruits, acorns, fungi, bark and bird eggs. They bury food underground at various locations near their nesting area or den sites to store grub for later use. Depending on where they live, these squirrels can build nests out of leaves or twigs high in trees or inhabit abandoned creepers’ dens.
Eastern Gray Squirrels can be quite vocal; they chatter when happy or angry and give off a loud alarm call when predators such as hawks or cats disturb them. Grey squirrels are social creatures who constantly interact throughout the day by chasing each other around trees and playing tag games with their tails and paws. These charming little rodents play an important role in the ecosystem. The burrowing behaviour of Sciurus Carolinensis helps aerate the soil, while their caching activities spread seeds for new plants to grow from.
FOX SQUIRREL

Fox Squirrels – The Delmarva fox squirrel is a large type of squirrel found typically in the coastal areas of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. They have salt-and-pepper-coloured fur, with white bellies and tails that fade to yellowish at the tips. Their face is distinctive, with flat nose and black cheeks. The average body length of an adult Delmarva fox squirrel is about 16 inches long, with a tail of about 12 inches in length. These animals weigh between two to three pounds and are considered one of the largest tree squirrels in North America.
Although they are primarily herbivorous animals, they also eat eggs or small birds when available. Unlike other squirrels who live alone or in pairs, Delmarva fox squirrels often inhabit larger groups of up to 20 individuals in a single territory. In particular, they enjoy acorns; as such, they can often be found collecting them from trees during autumn for storage during colder months. It’s also worth noting that these animals are great climbers and spend much time running between branches at dizzying heights.
The Delmarva fox squirrels’ habitat has been threatened by urbanization, leading many conservation efforts to be undertaken throughout its range. For instance, the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has created numerous wildlife sanctuaries specifically designed for fox squirrels over the years to protect them from deforestation and other threats posed by human activity within their range.
The Groundhog is a type of rodent that is closely related to the squirrel. Groundhogs are large mammals with brown fur and short, stubby tail. Groundhogs typically weigh between 4 and 8 pounds.
CHIPMUNK

Chipmunks belong to the family Sciuridae and are small rodents found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. They have a distinctive dark vertical stripe and small round ears on their faces. They are omnivorous and subsist mainly on small insects and acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts and pine cones. They typically live in forests, grasslands or scrubland habitats and create burrows underground with multiple entrances for sleeping and storing food.
The average lifespan of a chipmunk is 3-5 years in the wild and up to 8 years in captivity. During mating season, males will fight each other for access to females by standing on their hind legs while chattering their teeth fiercely. Although they are mostly solitary creatures by nature, they sometimes form groups of up to 10 individuals to help defend against predators such as foxes or hawks.
Chipmunks also have several distinct vocalizations, such as chirping or whistling during an alarm or when warning of danger. They are also known for playing dead when confronted with danger which helps them avoid predation by surprising predators with their sudden stillness. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, but they will also eat fruits and vegetables if available. In addition to providing important ecological services such as seed dispersal, they serve an important cultural role in our lives, serving as popular cartoon characters like Alvin from the Animaniacs show or Dave from the Disney movie The Chipmunk Adventure.
FLYING SQUIRRELS

Flying Squirrels are an incredibly fascinating mammal. They belong to the Sciuridae family, which comprises other tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs. Flying squirrels have a unique adaptation not seen in other mammals: they can glide through the air using their special patagium. This membrane stretches from their forearms to their hind legs, allowing them to ‘fly’ substantial distances over open terrain. Unlike regular squirrels, they cannot climb back up once they’ve descended from a canopy, so they often take refuge in hollow trees or den sites on the ground.
Flying squirrels generally have short bodies with wide eyes and soft fur coats ranging from brown to grey. They typically weigh around 170-220 grams, making them smaller than most other squirrel species. They primarily eat nuts and seeds in the wild but will also eat bugs, fruits, buds and fungi. Interestingly, flying squirrels do not fly; instead, with the help of their patagium ‘wings,’ they glide through the air for up to 200 feet or more! During the flight, these tree squirrels can reach speeds of almost 30 mph and even turn corners by adjusting the tension in their membrane wings. Even more impressive is that they can use their tail as a rudder to steer themselves away from obstacles during a gliding descent. Furthermore, when landing after a long glide, these squirrels use their large hind legs coupled with specialized toes that act as brakes to slow down before touchdown.
There are roughly 50 different species of flying squirrels around the world, but only three of them exist in North America. These species include the Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus), Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans), and Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel (Petinomyshumboldti). Each species has its unique characteristics that make them excellent flyers.
The Northern Flying Squirrel is the largest of the bunch, with a wingspan measuring up to 11 inches across. It has dark fur and a large tail used as a rudder while flying.
The Southern Flying Squirrel is slightly smaller, usually measuring between seven and eight inches across its wingspan. It has light gray-brown fur and is primarily nocturnal.
Humboldt’s Flying Squirrel is smaller than its cousins, with an average wingspan of five to six inches. Its fur is reddish-brown on top and white underneath and can be seen darting around trees in areas from western Mexico to southern Oregon.
All three species have strong legs for leaping from branch to branch, long fingers for grasping branches, and soft, furry membranes between their limbs for gliding through the air with ease.
African Pygmy Squirrels

African Pygmy Squirrels are unique, small squirrels native to the African continent. They are the smallest known squirrels in the world, weighing no more than 28 grams and having a body length of just 10 cm. As its name implies, these squirrels live primarily in trees and shrubs throughout the rainforest regions of Central and West Africa. Its long, bushy tail helps it balance navigating through branches, while its large ears provide excellent hearing to detect potential predators.
These native squirrels have reddish-brown fur with white stripes on their sides, back and head predominantly. They mainly eat nuts, fruits, bugs and other invertebrates. It is an active forager who often travels long distances searching for food. During the day, this type of tree squirrel typically remains within dense canopies where it is safe from potential predators such as eagles or hawks. At night they hide inside tree holes or nests built with twigs and leaves high up in the branches. These creatures are also social mammals that live in family groups composed of several individuals.
They are capable of communicating via complex vocalizations during times when they need to show aggression or dominance over another member of their group. The African Pygmy Squirrel is important as it plays an integral role in seed dispersal and controlling populations of certain bugs and pests due to its voracious appetite for them. This cute little creature’s population numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate due to illegal hunting, habitat destruction and fragmentation caused by deforestation activities within its range. As such, conservation efforts must be implemented before the African Pygmy Squirrel becomes extinct from our planet!
Ground Squirrels are a type of rodent found worldwide in many habitats. They are most commonly recognized for their burrowing habits and mounds of dirt left behind due to their digging. The Ground squirrel can vary in size, ranging from about 6 inches to 14 inches long, and can weigh anywhere between 4 and 24 ounces.
Depending on the type of ground squirrel, they can be diurnal or nocturnal, meaning they come out during the day or at night. They feed primarily on vegetation such as roots, fruits, and flowers but have also been known to scavenge carrion. When alarmed, they warn other squirrels while they scurry away into their burrows. Some ground squirrels hibernate during winter when food is scarce; this helps them conserve energy until springtime when eats becomes more available again.
Ground squirrels have even been known to use tools such as digging sticks or rocks to help with their digging activities while searching for edibles! Aside from being fascinating little creatures with various adaptations that help them survive in the wild, these squirrels also play an important role in our ecosystems by providing a valuable food source for predators such as hawks and foxes.
INDIAN GIANT SQUIRREL

Indian Giant Squirrels, also known as the Malabar Giant Squirrels, are an impressive species of rodent native to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. These squirrels have a unique appearance, sporting a black and white striped pattern with a russet red back and tail, which helps camouflage them in the forest. An adult Indian Giant Squirrel can reach lengths of up to three feet from head to tail tip and weigh as much as two pounds.
This large squirrel prefers spending time in dense forest habitats where it spends its days foraging. The diet of Indian giant squirrels consists mainly of nuts, fruits, grasshoppers and caterpillars. These native squirrels reside in tall trees; they must rely on their agility to jump across branches quickly, which they can do with ease thanks to their long tails! These remarkable rodents are solitary creatures who build nests over two feet wide out of twigs and leaves high up in the treetops.
During mating season, the males display territorial behaviour by marking areas with their urine and making loud noises from their throats. Sadly these fantastic squirrels face extinction due to increasing deforestation activities that are destroying their natural habitat, and it’s crucial to help protect them before it’s too late.

Baby Squirrels
Baby squirrels are some of the cutest critters on the planet! They are tiny and adorable, with their big eyes and soft fur. At birth, a baby squirrel is so tiny it can fit into the palm of your hand. As they grow up, however, they become larger and more active. Young squirrels learn to climb as soon as they leave the nest for the first time, using their sharp claws to grip branches or bark. They also love to play when given the opportunity; chasing each other around trees or rolling around in leaves can be entertaining! Along with playing and climbing, young squirrels enjoy cuddling up in cozy nooks during their nap times. It is important to note that feeding baby squirrels directly is not recommended because of the risk it poses to their health – providing a safe source of food, such as dried fruits, is best for them. All in all, young squirrels are genuinely delightful creatures to observe in nature – even if you don’t get too close!
Conclusion: Squirrels Play An Important Role
There are many different types of ground and tree squirrels in the world, each with unique adaptations that help them survive in specific habitats. For example, black squirrels, a variation of the common squirrel, are well-known for their ability to thrive in urban settings. While most squirrels, including those that feed on tree buds and engage in planting acorns, are sometimes considered pests by humans, they play an essential role in their ecosystems. Squirrels help with seed dispersal, which supports the growth of new trees. Additionally, ensuring your property is squirrel proof, especially in areas with overhanging branches, can help prevent damage while still allowing these animals to contribute positively to the environment. By understanding the ecological importance of squirrels, we can better appreciate their place in the natural world.
