Many people nowadays enjoy keeping small animals around them as pets, and most of these little pets share a common characteristic: they are incredibly cute. When it comes to agile and adorable creatures, squirrels are certainly among the most well-known.
A brief overview of squirrels:
Squirrels belong to the family Sciuridae within the order Rodentia, encompassing a diverse group of rodents characterized by their fluffy tails. There are approximately 285 species belonging to 58 genera distributed across all continents except Antarctica.
Contrary to the widespread image of squirrels as fluffy-tailed animals that dwell in trees and skillfully eat pine cones, this view only captures a fraction of the diversity within the Sciuridae family. Squirrels inhabit a range of land environments, from snow-covered mountains exceeding 6000 meters in altitude to tropical Pacific islands, showcasing their adaptability across the globe.
However, they are absent in environments near the poles or in highly arid deserts, where vegetation is minimal or nonexistent.
Do you know what types of squirrels there are?
Some of the commonly encountered squirrel species include the red-bellied squirrel, rock squirrel, golden-mantled ground squirrel, tricolored squirrel, Hokkaido squirrel, long-nosed squirrel, prairie dog, Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Eurasian red squirrel, and gray squirrel.
Among them, the red-bellied squirrel mainly inhabits tropical and subtropical rainforests and is mostly arboreal.
1. Rock Squirrel:
Resembling the red-bellied squirrel to some extent, with prominent ears, slightly short limbs, sparse and fluffy tail hairs, grayish-blue fur on the back, and yellow-gray fur on the belly and inner sides of the limbs. They inhabit rocky areas in mountainous regions, and although they can climb trees, they primarily dwell among rocks and often nest in rock crevices.
2. Tricolored Squirrel:
Native to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, it is a medium-sized squirrel that dwells in tropical rainforests.
They have a body length of about 20 centimeters and a tail length of about 15 centimeters. They are mostly black from the head to the back, with white stripe-like markings on both sides of the body, and yellowish-brown on the forelimbs and abdomen. Among squirrels, which generally have plain and monotonous fur colors, they are considered relatively splendid.
3. Red-bellied Squirrel:
The back of the red-bellied squirrel is grayish-brown, and the belly is reddish-brown, usually appearing singly.
They have a body length of around 20 centimeters, with a weight mostly below 500 grams. Only the head, chest, abdomen, and limbs have short fur, while the rest is long fur, especially the tail fur is extremely voluminous.
4. Long-nosed Squirrel:
The main characteristic of the long-nosed squirrel is its "long nose."
They have a body length between 20-25 centimeters, with a relatively long snout, slightly short limbs, slender tails, short and fluffy tail fur, grayish-brown fur on the back, and grayish-white fur on the abdomen. Each subspecies has different physical characteristics.
Squirrels exhibit unique behaviors compared to many other animals, showing a preference for daytime activity, especially in the early hours of the morning.
They are often seen leaping and frolicking among tree trunks and branches, engaging in foraging and playful activities. This behavior gives them an appearance of being joyful and at ease in their natural environment.
