Over 275 varieties of Squirrels in this world! These are separated into 5 subfamilies, with about 50 genera and nearly 280 species which include the Tree Squirrel, Flying Squirrel, Ground Squirrel etc. Squirrels lives in almost every environment from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert, avoiding only the Polar Regions and the driest of deserts. Generally Squirrels are born in the early spring with the average bunch consisting of four. Generally an adult Squirrel lives lonely but in the too much cold condition it could give permission to share its nets with other squirrels to preserve heat. Once the temperature rises however, the visitors are normally shown the door!

With a brain the size of walnut, Squirrels interconnect through a series of chirps, these in adding with tail signals, from the basis of a ‘language'. Storing food for a rainy day is a characteristic Squirrel habit. Squirrels use their razor sharp sense of smell to track down buried nuts and can dig extensive holes in the process. Birds, especially crows, will observe a squirrel bury a nut and will dig it up as soon as the squirrel leaves. This tiny creature is clever about finding its food packs. A squirrel will break the shell of a nut by licking it before it is buried. This leaves a smell on the nut which helps this animal find it later in need. Really Ingenious!

The sweat glands of a tree squirrel are located on its feet so when it is hot or excited it leave wet trace on dry surface. This is also how the little creature marks its territory. These Squirrels are the cleanest animals in the rodent family, male take twice as long as females to groom themselves and we thought the female of the sex was vain!

Squirrels are rarely kept as house pets, provided they are preferred young enough and are hand raised in a proper manner. It can be taught to do tricks, and is said to be as smart as dogs in their capability to learn behaviors

The early Greeks used the word ‘Skiouros' for Squirrel (Skia means shade and Oura means tail) relating the creature as one who sits in shadow of it tail. Centuries later, the French created a noun ‘esquirrel' to portray this creature from where the word ‘Squirrel' was derived.