Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Sciurus (squirrel)

Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1758Sciurus Linnaeus p. 63
1758Sciurus flavus Linnaeus p. 64
1811Sciurus Illiger p. 83
1825Sciurus Gray p. 342
1902Sciurus Hay p. 719
1908Sciurus Lambe
1967Sciurus Wilson p. 208
1980Sciurus Kurten and Anderson p. 220
1997Sciurus McKenna and Bell
2003Sciurus Mercer and Roth
2005Sciurus Emry et al. p. 228

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—EuarchontogliresMurphy et al. 2001
—GliriformesWyss and Meng 1996
—Glires()
—Simplicidentata()
orderRodentiaBowdich 1821
superfamilySciuroidea
familySciuridae
tribeSciurini
genusSciurus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Sciurus Linnaeus 1758 [squirrel]
show all | hide all
Subg. Sciurus (Macroxus) Cuvier 1823
Subg. †Sciurus (Prosciurus) Matthew 1903
hide
+
Invalid names: Prosciurus minor Russell 1972 [synonym]
Sciurus aberti Woodhouse 1853
Sciurus alleni Nelson 1898
†Sciurus calycinus Cope 1871
Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin 1788 [eastern gray squirrel]
†Sciurus giganteus Freudenberg 1941
Sciurus griseus Ord 1818
Sciurus niger Linnaeus 1758 [fox squirrel]
hide
Invalid names: Sciurus cinereus Linnaeus 1758 [synonym]
†Sciurus olsoni Emry et al. 2005
†Sciurus panolius Cope 1869
Sciurus prevostii Desmarest 1822 [Prevost's squirrel]
hide
Sciurus prevostii rafflesii Vigors and Horsfield 1828
Sciurus prevostii harrisoni Stone and Rehn 1902
†Sciurus siderolithicus Picted and Humbert 1869
†Sciurus spectabilis Major 1873
†Sciurus venturus Bryant 1945
Sciurus vittatus Raffles 1822
†Sciurus vortmani Cope 1879
Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus 1758 [Eurasian red squirrel]
Invalid names: Sciurus flavus Linnaeus 1758 [nomen dubium]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: arborealg
Diet: granivoref
Diet 2: frugivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Comments: see also Samuels and Van Valkenburgh 2008g
Created: 2011-05-12 18:15:16
Modified: 2012-05-14 21:54:22
Source: g = genus, f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Lillegraven 1979, Dunn and Rasmussen 2007, Carroll 1988, Ji et al. 2002, Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1991

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Bartonian to the top of the Holocene or 41.03000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 37.71 Ma

Collections (126 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Bartonian41.03 - 37.71Switzerland (Baselland) Plesiarctomys spectabilis (182806)
MP 2333.9 - 27.3France Sciurus sp. (183508)
MP 2333.9 - 27.3France (Quercy) Sciurus sp. (36709)
Rupelian33.9 - 27.3Germany Sciurus sp. (183361)
Chattian27.3 - 23.04Switzerland (Canton Solothurn) Sciurus sp. (182805)
Aquitanian23.04 - 20.45Germany (Baden-Württemberg) Sciurus giganteus (52566)
Aquitanian - Serravallian23.04 - 11.63France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) Sciurus fissurae (36882)
Miocene23.04 - 5.333France Sciurus fissurae (200296)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98China (Jiangsu) Sciurus indet. (43400) Sciurus sp. (41813)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) Sciurus fissurae (36878)
Burdigalian20.45 - 15.98Spain (Valencia) Sciurus fissurae (40031)
Langhian - Serravallian15.98 - 11.63France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region) Sciurus fissurae (36887)
Middle Miocene15.98 - 11.63China (Nei Mongol) Sciurus sp. (13484)
Middle Miocene - Late/Upper Miocene15.98 - 5.333China (Nei Mongol) Sciurus sp. (13483)
Clarendonian12.5 - 9.4USA (Nevada) Sciurus olsoni (71406)
Messinian7.246 - 5.333Italy (Piedmont) Sciurus warthae (172912 172915 199859)
Pliocene - Pleistocene5.333 - 0.0117France (Midi-Pyrenees) Sciurus warthae (35076)
MN 145.09 - 4.16Poland Sciurus warthae (32240)
Ruscinian5.09 - 3.55Greece (Kozani) Sciurus anomalus (205081)
Ruscinian5.09 - 3.55Spain (Soria) Sciurus sp. (40548)
Ruscinian - Villafranchian5.09 - 1.8Hungary (Barany) Sciurus sp. (35354)
MN 154.16 - 3.55Poland Sciurus warthae (33396 33872)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.58Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) Sciurus sp. (199747 205172)
MN 163.55 - 2.245Austria (Lower Austria) Sciurus sp. (167680)
MN 163.55 - 2.245Poland Sciurus warthae (33473 33638)
Villafranchian3.55 - 1.8Greece Sciurus anomalus (34589)
Villafranchian3.55 - 1.8Italy (Venetia) Sciurus sp. (50895)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8USA (Florida) Sciurus sp. (20384)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Greece Sciurus anomalus (34767)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Greece (Peloponnisos) Sciurus sp. (34766)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Greece (Kalymnos island) Sciurus sp. (34770)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz) Sciurus vulgaris (35905)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Romania Sciurus sp. (32145 32192 32194 33973 33974 34009)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774United Kingdom (England) Sciurus vulgaris (77751)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774Italy (Verona) Sciurus warthae (51625)
Early/Lower Pleistocene - Middle Pleistocene2.58 - 0.129France (Alpes Maritimes) Sciurus sp. (50682)
Early/Lower Pleistocene - Middle Pleistocene2.58 - 0.129Czechia Sciurus sp. (35907)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Sciurus niger (227368)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117Israel Sciurus anomalus (225664) Sciurus sp. (39252)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117USA (Tennessee) Sciurus carolinensis (74240)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117USA (Maryland) Sciurus carolinensis (126660)
MN 172.245 - 1.8Poland Sciurus sp. (32485)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis (20289 20308 20350) Sciurus sp. (20385)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (New Mexico) Sciurus aberti (20509 20510 20513)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (West Virginia) Sciurus carolinensus (20555) Sciurus sp. (20554)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Virginia) Sciurus carolinensis (20388)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Colorado) Sciurus sp. (20477 20559)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Arizona) Sciurus aberti (20445)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Iowa) Sciurus sp. (20407)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Israel Sciurus anomalus (192424 192425)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Hungary Sciurus vulgaris (35045)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129United Kingdom (England) Sciurus vulgaris (78015)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Czechia Sciurus sp. (36214)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz) Sciurus sp. (49999 50196)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Greece (Peloponnesos) Sciurus vulgaris (200081)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129France (Provence) Sciurus sp. (48889 48891)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Germany (Bayern) Sciurus vulgaris (50260)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Hungary (Borsodabaujzemplen) Sciurus sp. (35472)
Rancholabrean0.21 - 0.014USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger (195112) Sciurus sp. (20491)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Mexico (Nuevo Leon) Sciurus alleni (71345)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Georgia) Sciurus carolinensis (20604)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger (154805)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis (20572 20650) Sciurus sp. (20629) Sciurus sp., Sciurus carolinensis (20573)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger (154722)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Michigan) Sciurus carolinensis (200485)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (high glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Texas) Sciurus carolinensis (93103)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Missouri) Sciurus sp. (93676)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Texas) Sciurus niger (93527)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Greece (Peloponnesus) Sciurus vulgaris (184245)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Sciurus carolinensis (154771)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Texas) Sciurus carolinensis (20586)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (California) Sciurus sp. (74235 93250)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (West Virginia) Sciurus carolinensis (124199) Sciurus corolinensis (93332)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Missouri) Sciurus sp. (93379)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Virginia) Sciurus carolinensis (82258 103991)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Missouri) Sciurus sp. (63563 63565 63571)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Greece (Peloponnesus) Sciurus anomalus (184243)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Virginia) Sciurus sp. (104034 104044 104672)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil (Districto Agropecura) Sciurus gilvigularis (21687)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Ontario) Sciurus carolinensis (221863)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Quebec) Sciurus carolinensis (224189)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Peru Sciurus sanborni, Sciurus spadiceus, Sciurus ignitus (21689)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Ohio) Sciurus carolinensis (195062 195065 195067 195069) Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger (195066)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Venezuela (Guarico) Sciurus granatensis (21686)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Florida) Sciurus niger (227371)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Virginia) Sciurus carolinensis (104675)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Indonesia (Java) Sciurus notatus (13738)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Tennessee) Sciurus sp. (63428)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Panama Sciurus granatensis (21691)