Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🧬

Pine squirrel

life science Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Pine squirrels are small tree squirrels. They have bushy tails. These animals belong to the genus Tamiasciurus. They are part of the Sciurini tribe. This tribe also includes the genus Sciurus. These squirrels are important parts of the forest.

These squirrels have a specific way they find food. They rely on many different things to eat. They eat seeds from trees. They also eat various plants. These squirrels eat fungi too. They even eat arthropods. These are small creatures like bugs.

The name for these squirrels comes from the Greek language. The word Tamiasciurus is made of two parts. One part means steward or dispenser. The other part means squirrel. This name describes how they act. It is a very old way to name things.

There are three main species in this group. One is the Douglas squirrel. This includes the Mearns's squirrel. Another is the southwestern red squirrel. This includes the Mount Graham red squirrel. The last is the American red squirrel. All three species live in North America.

You can find these squirrels in many places. They live in the northern and western United States. They are also in most of Canada. Some live in Alaska. Others live in northwestern Mexico. Do not confuse them with Eurasian red squirrels. Those live in different parts of the world.

220 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.