How many species of squirrel are there?
A squirrel is a small or medium-sized rodent of the family Sciuridae. In the English-speaking world, it commonly refers to members of this family’s genera Sciurus and Tamiasciurus, which are tree squirrels that have large bushy tails, and are indigenous to Europe (but not Ireland), Asia and the Americas. Similar genera are found in Africa. The Sciuridae family also include flying squirrels, as well as ground squirrels such as the chipmunks, prairie dogs, and woodchucks. Members of the family Anomaluridae are sometimes misleadingly referred to as “scaly-tailed flying squirrels” although they are not closely related to the true squirrels. Sciurinae Ammospermophilus A. harrisii – Harris Antelope Squirrel; southwest USA A. insularis A. interpres – Texas Antelope Squirrel; Texas A. leucurus – White-tailed Antelope Squirrel; Southwest USA; photo by Charles Ott A. nelsoni – Nelson’s Antelope Squirrel (I think you need those 3D glasses to see this one); Southwest USA Atlantoxerus A. getulus –
