![]() ![]() ![]() Squirrels are generally small animals, ranging in size from the African pygmy squirrel and least pygmy squirrel at 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) in total length and just 12–26 g (0.42–0.92 oz) in weight, to the Bhutan giant flying squirrel at up to 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) in total length, and several marmot species, which can weigh 8 kg (18 lb) or more. ![]() Skull of an Oriental giant squirrel (genus Ratufa)-note the classic sciuromorphous shape of the anterior zygomatic region. The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognates of which are still used in other Germanic languages, including the German Eichhörnchen (diminutive of Eichhorn, which is not as frequently used), the Norwegian ikorn/ ekorn, the Dutch eekhoorn, the Swedish ekorre and the Danish egern.Ī group of squirrels is called a "dray" or a "scurry". The native Old English word for the squirrel, ācweorna, survived only into Middle English (as aquerne) before being replaced. The word squirrel, first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escurel, the reflex of a Latin word sciurus, which was taken from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος ( skiouros from σκία-ουρος) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from the Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormice. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae ( / s ɪ ˈ j uː r ɪ d eɪ, - d iː/), a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. ![]()
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