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Squirrels are familiar backyard visitors, but “squirrel” describes far more than the gray animals seen raiding bird feeders. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, and prairie dogs. Their teeth, tails, social behavior, food caches, and survival strategies are remarkably specialized.
Here are 22 squirrel facts that explain why these small mammals are such effective climbers, hoarders, gliders, and opportunists—and why wild squirrels should be observed rather than treated like domestic pets.
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1. “Squirrel” includes around 280 species
Squirrels belong to the family Sciuridae, which contains roughly 280 recognized species, according to Animal Diversity Web. The exact number can change as scientists revise classifications. The family includes familiar tree squirrels as well as chipmunks, marmots, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels.
2. Squirrels have three main body plans
Sciurids are commonly grouped into tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. Their body shapes reflect their lifestyles:
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| Body plan | Typical adaptations |
|---|---|
| Tree squirrels | Long tails and limbs adapted for climbing |
| Ground squirrels | Bodies and paws suited to digging and life near burrows |
| Flying squirrels | A membrane that allows them to glide between trees |
Animal Diversity Web describes these as the three common sciurid body plans.
3. Flying squirrels do not really fly
A flying squirrel cannot flap its way through the air like a bird or bat. Instead, it launches from a tree and glides using a furry membrane called a patagium, which stretches between its wrists and ankles.
By changing the position of its limbs and tail, the squirrel can steer, slow down, and prepare for landing. This lets it travel between trees without climbing down to the ground, where it may be more exposed to predators.
4. Some flying squirrels glow pink under ultraviolet light
The bellies of New World flying squirrels in the genus Glaucomys can fluoresce pink when exposed to ultraviolet light, as documented by the National Park Service. Scientists have documented this effect, but its biological purpose remains uncertain. It may have a role in communication or camouflage, or it may simply be an incidental property of the animals’ fur.
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5. A squirrel’s tail is a multipurpose tool
The bushy tail helps a squirrel balance while running along branches and acts as a steering aid during jumps. It can also provide warmth in cold weather, partially conceal the animal, and serve as a visual signal, according to the National Park Service.
A squirrel may flick or wave its tail when it notices danger or is defending food. The movement can alert nearby squirrels—or tell a potential threat that it has been spotted.
6. Squirrels can climb down a tree headfirst
Eastern gray squirrels can rotate their ankle joints roughly 180 degrees, according to the National Park Service. This allows their hind feet to grip the bark while their bodies face downward. The ability is important because many animals that climb well can descend only backward or sideways.
When a gray squirrel runs headfirst down a trunk, its flexible ankles help keep its claws pointed into the bark instead of away from it.
7. Their front teeth never stop growing
Squirrels have continuously growing, chisel-shaped incisor teeth. Gnawing on hard materials wears the teeth down and keeps them at a usable length, as described by Animal Diversity Web.
This is one reason squirrels chew branches, nutshells, bark, and occasionally structures around homes. A squirrel’s need to gnaw is biological, not a sign that it is trying to be destructive. For people dealing with wild squirrels near a house, blocking access points and removing attractants is safer than attempting to handle the animal.
8. Not every squirrel hibernates
Eastern gray squirrels and many other tree squirrels remain active throughout winter. They rely on stored food and spend more time sheltering during severe weather, but they do not undergo true winter hibernation in the way many ground squirrels do, according to the National Park Service.
Many ground squirrels retreat underground for extended periods, lowering their body temperature and slowing their metabolism. Whether a squirrel hibernates depends on its species, habitat, climate, and food supply.
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9. Squirrels do not eat only nuts
Nuts and seeds are important foods for many squirrels, but their diets are broader than the familiar bird-feeder image suggests. Animal Diversity Web notes that, depending on the species and season, squirrels may eat:
- Fruit and berries
- Fungi
- Flowers, buds, and bark
- Insects
- Bird eggs and nestlings
- Small vertebrates
- Human food left accessible outdoors
A squirrel’s diet changes when preferred foods are scarce. Foods that are safe in small amounts for wildlife are not automatically suitable for pet dogs, cats, or people, and feeding wild squirrels can encourage them to approach homes.
10. Some squirrels occasionally eat meat
Squirrels are generally considered herbivorous or primarily plant-eating animals, but some species are opportunistic feeders. Animal Diversity Web describes squirrels eating insects, eggs, young animals, and other small vertebrates.
This does not make squirrels predators in the same sense as cats or hawks. It shows that their feeding behavior can be flexible when protein-rich food is available.
11. Many squirrels scatter-hoard food
Instead of placing every food item in one central store, many tree squirrels scatter-hoard nuts and seeds. They bury individual items in separate locations such as soil, leaf litter, hollow logs, and tree cavities, as described by Animal Diversity Web.
Scattering food makes it harder for one competitor or predator to steal an entire supply. It also means a squirrel must repeatedly search for its own winter provisions.
12. Squirrels can remember where they hid food
Research on gray squirrels found that they retrieved their own caches more successfully than caches made by other squirrels. In experimental conditions, they could remember cache locations for at least several weeks, according to a study published in the journal Animal Behaviour.
They probably use a combination of memory, smell, landmarks, and spatial relationships. A squirrel does not need to remember every nut perfectly: recovering enough of its stored food can still make the caching strategy worthwhile.
13. Gray squirrels sometimes make fake caches
When other squirrels are watching, eastern gray squirrels have been observed digging and covering empty holes without placing a nut inside. Research published in Animal Behaviour found that this deceptive caching was associated with reduced cache theft.
The behavior is a reminder that a squirrel burying something is not necessarily leaving food behind. It may be hiding the act itself.
14. They change their caching behavior when watched
Gray squirrels can respond to the presence of potential thieves. Studies have found that watched squirrels may space their caches farther apart, travel farther from the original food source, remain more vigilant, or turn their bodies away from nearby animals, according to research published in Ethology.
These adjustments suggest that squirrel caching is not purely automatic. The animal can alter how and where it stores food based on social risk.
15. Forgotten caches can help forests grow
A nut that a squirrel fails to recover may remain in the soil and eventually germinate. In that way, squirrel caching can disperse tree seeds and contribute to forest regeneration, as described by Animal Diversity Web.
The effect varies with the tree species, squirrel species, soil, climate, and whether the seed survives. Squirrels are not the only seed dispersers, but their habit of carrying nuts away from parent trees can have important ecological consequences.
16. Some flying squirrels store nuts in trees
Underground caching is not the only storage strategy. In humid tropical forests, researchers have documented flying squirrels fastening nuts between small branches. The squirrels chew grooves into the nuts so they can wedge them securely in place, according to research indexed by PubMed.
Keeping food above ground may help reduce spoilage in wet conditions and make it more difficult for other animals to steal.
17. Baby squirrels are born highly dependent
Newborn tree squirrels are typically naked, blind, and deaf. They depend on their mother for warmth, protection, and nourishment while they develop, according to Animal Diversity Web.
A baby squirrel found alone is not necessarily abandoned. Its mother may be nearby or searching for food. People should avoid taking a healthy-looking young squirrel indoors; a local wildlife rehabilitator can advise on whether intervention is actually needed.
18. One litter can have more than one father
Female squirrels may mate with multiple males during a breeding period. As a result, offspring in the same litter can have different fathers, a situation known as multiple paternity, as described by Animal Diversity Web.
This can increase genetic diversity within a litter and may also reduce the certainty that one male can claim exclusive paternity.
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Many tree squirrels spend much of their time alone, particularly when feeding or storing food. Ground squirrels, however, can be highly social.
Prairie dogs live in colonies with complex social organization, alarm calls, and cooperative interactions. Other ground squirrel species also live in groups or maintain social systems around shared burrow areas. “Squirrel” therefore describes animals with very different social lives, as Animal Diversity Web explains.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.20. Prairie dogs are squirrels, not dogs
Prairie dogs are ground squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Their name comes from their barking calls, which reminded early observers of dogs. They are not closely related to domestic dogs, according to the National Park Service.
Their burrow colonies can contain elaborate tunnel systems and organized social groups, making prairie dogs among the most socially complex members of the squirrel family.
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21. Squirrels are native across much of the world—but not everywhere
Squirrels occur naturally across large parts of North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They are not naturally native to Antarctica or Australia, although some squirrel populations in Australia were introduced by humans, according to Animal Diversity Web.
Introduced wildlife can create management problems when it competes with native species or damages crops and property. A squirrel’s status therefore depends not only on its species but also on where it is living.
22. The rabies stereotype is misleading, but bites still matter
Small rodents such as squirrels are rarely infected with rabies and are not major rabies reservoirs in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That does not make bites or scratches harmless. Squirrels can carry other pathogens, and any bite should be washed promptly with soap and running water. Contact a healthcare professional or local health department if the wound is serious, the animal behaved unusually, or you are unsure whether additional medical care is needed. Do not attempt to catch a wild squirrel for testing unless authorities instruct you to do so.
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Squirrels are fascinating wild neighbors, but they are not suitable substitutes for domesticated pets. Their continuously growing teeth, powerful claws, complex diets, and need for space make them difficult and potentially unsafe to keep without specialist knowledge and legal permission.
Keep dogs and cats from chasing squirrels where possible, secure outdoor food and trash, and avoid hand-feeding wildlife. If you find an injured squirrel or an apparently orphaned baby, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator rather than trying to raise it at home.
FAQ
Are squirrels good pets?
Squirrels are wild animals with specialized diets, strong climbing and gnawing behaviors, and complex welfare needs. They are generally not appropriate household pets. Laws governing possession also vary, so contact a wildlife authority before attempting to keep or rehabilitate one.
Do squirrels remember where they bury nuts?
Yes. Studies of gray squirrels found that they can remember cache locations for at least several weeks under experimental conditions and retrieve their own caches more successfully than caches made by other squirrels. This finding was reported in a study published in Animal Behaviour.
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Do squirrels carry rabies?
Squirrels are rarely infected with rabies and are not major rabies reservoirs in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, wash any bite or scratch immediately and seek medical or public-health advice when the wound is serious or the animal behaved unusually.
What should I do if I find a baby squirrel?
Do not assume it has been abandoned. Keep pets and people away, observe from a distance, and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for instructions. Avoid feeding it or trying to raise it yourself, since incorrect care can cause serious harm.
The Bottom Line
Squirrels are not simply nut-eating rodents: they include gliders, burrowers, colony-dwellers, skilled climbers, and remarkably strategic food hoarders. Their behavior is best appreciated at a distance. Keep wild squirrels away from pet food and household hazards, and leave injured or orphaned animals to trained wildlife professionals.
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