Squirrels in the 21st century don’t look very different from their prehistoric ancestors, but nowadays, there are at least 267 species of squirrel throughout the world, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
Squirrels belong to the order Rodentia, characterised by their efficient gnawing front teeth and includes other animals such as mice and voles. Within this order, the Family Sciuridae covers the three groups of squirrels – flying squirrels, ground dwelling squirrels and tree squirrels, the latter of which includes both red and grey squirrels.
copyright Robert Fuller