Squirrel is the common name for rodents of the family
Sciuridae. In everyday speech in the English-speaking
world it usually refers to members of the genera Sciurus
and Tamiasciurus. These typical members of the family
are tree squirrels with large bushy tails, and are native
to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Similar genera are found
in Africa. However, the Sciuridae also include flying
squirrels, and ground squirrels such as the chipmunks,
prairie dogs, and woodchucks. The unrelated family Anomaluridae
also have "squirrel" in their common name, though
they are usually referred to as "scaly-tailed flying
squirrels". The original translation of the word
"squirrel" literally means "animal with
the tail that casts a shadow." It comes from Greek,
the syllables skia meaning shadow and oura meaning tail.
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