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Taxa

Sciuridae

Mammal Families

Sciuridae is a family of small to medium sized rodents commonly known as squirrels, encompassing tree squirrels, ground squirrels such as chipmunks and prairie dogs, and flying squirrels. The family is native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and squirrels have also been introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossil squirrels date to the Eocene epoch, and among living rodent families squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and the dormice.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Family 1
Member Count Band
100 to 1000 Species 2
Era First Appeared
Paleogene 3
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Squirrel
Wikipedia
  • Sciuridae: present tense, indigenous to Americas Eurasia Africa
  • Introduction
    Squirrels (UK: or US: SKWIRR-əl(z) or SKWUR-əl(z)) are members of the family Sciuridae ( sih-YOO-rih-day, -⁠dee), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents.
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2. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Sciuridae
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 286
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3. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Sciuridae
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Sciuridae" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 51.1 ... "early_interval": "Ypresian"
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Wikidata: Sciuridae
Wikidata Q9482, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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