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.