Sciurini
Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis )
The tree squirrels are all squirrels who live an Arboreal life in a broader sense. In a narrower sense is referred to as tree squirrels Tribus Sciurini, among, inter alia, squirrels, gray squirrels and a number of little-known species.
It is one of five genera with about 35 species of the tree squirrels, of which only 28 belong to the genus of squirrels:
- Squirrels (Sciurus )
- Central American mountain squirrel ( Syntheosciurus )
- New World dwarf squirrel ( Microsciurus )
- Bornean squirrel ( Rheithrosciurus )
- American Red Squirrel ( Tamiasciurus )
The New World smallest squirrel, which was also expected in older classifications for the tree squirrels is not used by recent molecular genetic studies with these, but will remain in a separate subfamily, Sciurillinae. The squirrels are likely to be a paraphyletic taxon with regard to Microsciurus, perhaps also on other genera.
Tree squirrels are a very ancient taxon, which is attested since the Oligocene with the ( paraphyletic ) genus Protosciurus from North America. From the Miocene are already well known Eurasian representatives ( joy Thalia, Plesiosciurus ). Today the tribe has its absolute distribution area in Central and South America.