October is Squirrel Awareness Month, and in honor of this special occasion I would like to offer this quiz to test your knowledge of squirrel facts and trivia. You will find a link at the end of the quiz to where you can check your answers.
1. Approximately how many squirrel species are there in the world?
a. 150 b. 280 c. 80 d. 500
2. The word "squirrel" comes from two ancient Greek words, "skia" and "oura", which combined mean ________
a. shadow tail b. bushy tail
c. razor tooth d. nut eater
3. Which of these animals is NOT a kind of squirrel?
a. groundhog b. prairie dog
c. pika d. marmot
4. Squirrels are native to every continent except Antarctica and __________
a. South America b. Australia
c. Africa d. Europe
5. All squirrels hibernate in winter.
a. True b. False
6. In what country can you find the world's largest tree squirrel?
a. Indonesia b. South Africa
c. India d. The United States
7. Which of the following is NOT a function of the squirrel's tail?
a. helps to maintain balance while running and leaping in trees.
b. maintains body temperature by increasing or decreasing blood flow in the tail.
c. intimidates predators by waving the tail aggressively.
d. uses the tail to grasp onto tree branches, to avoid falling.
8. The squirrel species that is most often seen in city parks and suburban yards of North America is the __________
a. eastern gray squirrel
b. red squirrel
c. 13-lined ground squirrel
d. Malabar giant squirrel
9. The flap of skin on each side that allows flying squirrels to glide is called the __________
a. sciuridae b. patagium
c. wing d. palladium
10. Which of these squirrel species is primarily nocturnal?
a. Arctic ground squirrel
b. Eurasian red squirrel
c. black-tailed prairie dog
d. northern flying squirrel
Click here to see the answers. Good luck!
