Robin Luther, age 13, of Fort Smith, Ark., for her question:
HOW MANY KINDS OF SQUIRRELS ARE THERE?
Squirrels can be found in every part of the world except in Australia, Madagascar and southern South Africa. There are more than 300 different kinds of the furry tailed animals.
Perhaps the smallest squirrel is the African pygmy squirrel which can be found in western Africa. It only weighs half an ounce and it is about three inches long, including the tail.
Largest squirrel in the world is called a marmot. It lives in Europe, western North America and in much of Asia. Although some are between one and two feet in length, the largest are 30 inches long, including a 10 inch tail. Marmots can weigh up to 20 pounds.
Squirrels are one of the largest families of rodents. Like other gnawing animals that are related, all squirrels have chisel like front teeth.
Some squirrels like to scamper on the ground and in the trees. They can leap from branch to branch easily. This type is called the tree squirrel and it includes the gray squirrel, the red squirrel and the flying squirrel.
Many squirrels, however, have short tails and never climb trees. Called ground squirrels, they include chipmunks, prairie dogs, woodchucks and marmots.
The word squirrel comes from two Greek words that mean shadow tail. At first the word was used only to describe the tree squirrel that has a bushy tail curving over his back. But later the word was used to describe all of the animals in the family.
Smallest of the tree squirrels is the flying squirrel. Unlike other tree squirrels that are seen during the day, the flying squirrel is usually active only at night. They can be found throughout Canada and the United States.
Some flying squirrels can glide more than 150 feet, but 50 to 60 feet is a more usual distance for a jump. They have folds of skin that stretch from the front legs to the rear legs on each side. The skin acts like the wings of a glider and gives the animal "lift."
A female squirrel will carry her babies inside her body for 36 to 45 days before birth. She may give birth twice a year and between two and six babies are born at one time.
A newborn squirrel doesn't have fur and its eyes are closed. Flying squirrels and red squirrels may open their eyes 26 to 28 days after birth, but gray squirrels usually take as long as 37 days.
By the time a baby squirrel is between five and eight weeks old, it is able to start searching for its own food. And by the time it is one year old, the young squirrel is out starting his own family.
Man is the squirrel's greatest enemy. Tree squirrels are hunted for meat and fur while other types are often shot for sport. Natural enemies include dogs, cats, coyotes, foxes and bobcats.