Sciuridae is a family of small mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Sciuromorpha suborder. Members of this family are called sciurids, and include squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots. They are found worldwide outside of Australia and Antarctica, primarily in forests, shrublands, and grasslands, though some species can be found in wetlands, deserts, or rocky areas. They range in size from the lesser pygmy flying squirrel, at plus a tail, to the Olympic marmot, at plus a tail. Sciurids primarily feed on fruit, seeds, and nuts, though many species also eat insects, fungi, bark, eggs, and small vertebrates. Almost no sciurids have population estimates, though fifteen species are categorized as endangered species and three—the Namdapha flying squirrel, Vancouver Island marmot, and speckled ground squirrel—are categorized as critically endangered.
The 284 extant species of Sciuridae are divided into five subfamilies: Callosciurinae, containing 67 species of Asian squirrels in 14 genera; Ratufinae, containing four species of giant squirrels in a single genus; Sciurillinae, containing only the neotropical pygmy squirrel; Sciurinae, containing 84 species of flying squirrel and tree squirrels in 20 genera; and Xerinae, containing 128 species of marmots, chipmunks, prairie dogs, and ground squirrels in 24 genera. A few extinct prehistoric sciurid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed.
Conventions
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the sciurid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification
Sciuridae is a family consisting of 284 extant species in 60 genera. These genera are divided between five subfamilies: Callosciurinae, Ratufinae, Sciurillinae, Sciurinae, and Xerinae. Callosciurinae contains 67 species in 14 genera, Ratufinae contains four species in a single genus, Sciurillinae contains a single species, Sciurinae contains 84 species in 20 genera, and Xerinae contains 128 species in 24 genera.
Family Sciuridae Subfamily Callosciurinae Genus Callosciurus (beautiful squirrels): fifteen species Genus Dremomys (red-cheeked squirrels): six species Genus Exilisciurus (pygmy squirrels): three species Genus Funambulus (palm squirrels): six species Genus Glyphotes (sculptor squirrel): one species Genus Hyosciurus (long-nosed squirrels): two species Genus Lariscus (black-striped squirrels): four species Genus Menetes (Berdmore's ground squirrel): one species Genus Nannosciurus (black-eared squirrel): one species Genus Prosciurillus (Sulawesi tree squirrels): seven species Genus Rhinosciurus (shrew-faced squirrel): one species Genus Rubrisciurus (red-bellied squirrel): one species Genus Sundasciurus (Sunda squirrels): fifteen species Genus Tamiops (Asiatic striped squirrels): four species Subfamily Ratufinae Genus Ratufa (giant squirrels): four species Subfamily Sciurillinae Genus Sciurillus (neotropical pygmy squirrel): one species Subfamily Sciurinae Genus Aeretes (groove-toothed flying squirrel): one species Genus Aeromys (large black flying squirrels): two species Genus Belomys (hairy-footed flying squirrel): one species Genus Biswamoyopterus (Indochinese giant flying squirrels): two species Genus Eoglaucomys (Kashmir flying squirrel): one species Genus Eupetaurus (western woolly flying squirrel): one species Genus Glaucomys (New World flying squirrels): two species Genus Hylopetes (arrow-tailed flying squirrels): nine species Genus Iomys (Horsfield's flying squirrels): two species Genus Microsciurus (dwarf squirrels): four species Genus Petaurillus (pygmy flying squirrels): three species Genus Petaurista (giant flying squirrels): ten species Genus Petinomys (dwarf flying squirrels): eight species Genus Pteromys (Old World flying squirrels): two species Genus Pteromyscus (smoky flying squirrel): one species Genus Rheithrosciurus (tufted ground squirrel): one species Genus Sciurus (tree squirrels): twenty-nine species Genus Syntheosciurus (Bangs's mountain squirrel): one species Genus Tamiasciurus (American pine squirrels): three species Genus Trogopterus (complex-toothed flying squirrel): one species
Subfamily Xerinae Genus Ammospermophilus (antelope squirrels): four species Genus Atlantoxerus (Barbary ground squirrel): one species Genus Callospermophilus (golden-mantled ground squirrels): three species Genus Cynomys (prairie dogs): five species Genus Epixerus (Ebian's palm squirrel): one species Genus Eutamias (Siberian chipmunk): one species Genus Funisciurus (rope squirrels): ten species Genus Heliosciurus (sun squirrels): six species Genus Ictidomys (lined ground squirrels): two species Genus Marmota (marmots): fourteen species Genus Myosciurus (African pygmy squirrel): one species Genus Neotamias (chipmunks): twenty-three species Genus Notocitellus (tropical ground squirrels): two species Genus Otospermophilus (American rock squirrels): two species Genus Paraxerus (African bush squirrels): eleven species Genus Poliocitellus (Franklin's ground squirrel): one species Genus Protoxerus (African giant squirrels): two species Genus Sciurotamias (Chinese rock squirrels): two species Genus Spermophilopsis (long-clawed ground squirrel): one species Genus Spermophilus (Holarctic ground squirrels): fifteen species Genus Tamias (eastern chipmunk): one species Genus Urocitellus (ground squirrels): twelve species Genus Xerospermophilus (desert ground squirrels): four species Genus Xerus (unstriped ground squirrels): four species
Sciurids The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Subfamily Callosciurinae
Subfamily Ratufinae
Subfamily Sciurillinae
Subfamily Sciurinae
Subfamily Xerinae
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Nowak, pp. 1248–1250 Nowak, p. 1252 Nowak, p. 1253 Nowak, p. 1256 Nowak, p. 1258 Nowak, p. 1261 Nowak, p. 1262 Nowak, p. 1264 Nowak, p. 1266 Nowak, p. 1268 Nowak, pp. 1270–1271 Nowak, p. 1272 Nowak, pp. 1274–1275 Nowak, pp. 1276–1277 Nowak, p. 1279 Nowak, pp. 1282–1283 Nowak, p. 1284 Nowak, p. 1286 Nowak, p. 1287 Nowak, p. 1289 Nowak, pp. 1290–1291 Nowak, p. 1292 Nowak, pp. 1295–1297 Nowak, pp. 1298–1301 Nowak, pp. 1302–1306
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