Tree squirrel Tree squirrel Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels". They include over a hundred arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania. They do not form a single natural, or monophyletic group; they are related to others in the squirrel family, including ground squirrels, flying squirrels, marmots, and chipmunks. The defining characteristic used to determine which species of Sciuridae are tree squirrels is dependent on their habitat rather than their physiology. Tree squirrels live mostly among trees, as opposed to those that live in burrows in the ground or
Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat The Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat ("Cuscomys ashaninka") is a large species of chinchilla rats from the Andes of far northern Cusco in Peru. It was first scientifically described in 1999. The first specimen of this species was discovered by Dr. Louise Emmons, a researcher of the Smithsonian Institution from Washington, D.C., who found it by chance while climbing in the Vilcabamba Mountains near Machu Picchu. Emmons named the genus after the city of Cusco, and she named the species for the Asháninka people who live in Peru. The animal has grey fur, with a white nose