The top 10 most beautiful squirrels in the world

2025-03-18 17:52:48 31

Squirrels are one of the most common small rodents. Due to their cute appearance, many species have become popular pets. So, which squirrels are the most charming? The editor has compiled the top ten most beautiful squirrels in the world, including: Indian giant squirrel, snow squirrel, motley squirrel, tassel-eared squirrel, tri-colored squirrel, Eurasian red squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, etc. Let's learn about these beautiful squirrels together!

1. Indian giant squirrel (bright and colorful fur)

The Indian giant squirrel is one of the most beautiful squirrels, also known as the Malabar giant squirrel. It is very large, with a head and body length of about 36 cm and a tail length of up to 50 cm. Its body size is close to that of a hare. Its fur is colorful, with a variety of colors such as reddish brown, black, tan and yellow-white interwoven together, giving people a unique and bright visual impact, which is clearly different from those squirrels with a single color.

The Indian giant squirrel has a round snout, large and bright eyes, and a pair of round furry ears, shaped like the ears of a giant panda, which looks round and cute.

2. Snow squirrel (fluffy hair/fur color affected by the season)

Snow squirrels are very popular among squirrels. Whether in terms of appearance or market price, they have always occupied a high position in the pet squirrel world. The body length of an adult snow squirrel is about 25 cm, and the length of the tail can be close to the back or even extend to the neck, and some can even reach the head. Their daily routine is to start moving at dawn and rest after dark. In the morning and evening, they go out to look for food, and at noon they usually hide in the shade of trees to rest.

The fur color of snow squirrels changes with the seasons: in summer, the fur is orange-red or orange-yellow, with a small amount of gray-white hair on the body; in winter, the fur color turns gray-white, and the limbs and ears are orange-red. Especially in winter, their fur looks particularly full and fluffy, and the long ear hair makes them look particularly majestic. Snow squirrels usually reproduce 1 to 2 litters a year, with 3 to 6 baby squirrels in each litter.

3. Motley Squirrel (many subspecies with different colors/furry tail)

Motley Squirrel is a species of squirrel with a very outstanding appearance. It is widely distributed in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Its head and body length is about 26 cm, and its tail is similar to the length of its head and body. It weighs about 500 grams. There are multiple subspecies of Motley Squirrel. Its hair is rich in color, especially its long furry tail, which is very eye-catching. They usually live in coniferous and mixed broad-leaved forests in temperate or subarctic zones. Motley Squirrel is mainly herbivorous, and its main food includes seeds and nuts. However, this squirrel has been linked to the spread of Borna virus, which has caused three deaths.

4. Tassel-eared squirrel (hairy ear tufts/dense tail hair)

Tassel-eared squirrel is one of the top ten squirrels and looks very cute. It is large in size, about 26 cm in length, with a tail length of about 21 cm, and weighs about 590 to 620 grams. Its most notable feature is the pair of furry ears, with hair extending 2 to 3 cm from each ear upward. The body color of the tassel-eared squirrel ranges from gray to black, with a white belly and a distinct red band on the back. The hair on the tail is dense and fluffy.

This squirrel likes to live in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests in the cold temperate or subarctic zones, and is particularly dependent on the ponderosa pine forest habitat. They usually build nests in trees or use tree holes to live. Tassel-eared squirrels are diurnal animals that are good at climbing and jumping. They usually act alone and do not hibernate.

5. Tricolor squirrels (gorgeous fur)

There are about 35 genera and 212 species of squirrels, among which the tricolor squirrel is one of the most popular. They are native to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, and live in tropical rainforests. They are medium-sized squirrels. The back and tail of the tricolor squirrel are dark reddish brown, with obvious white stripes from the cheeks to the sides, the forelimbs and abdomen are yellow-brown, and the abdomen is white. Compared with many squirrels with monotonous fur, the fur of the tricolor squirrel is more gorgeous. Because they originally lived in tropical rainforests, tricolor squirrels do not like overly dry environments. If you plan to keep a tricolor squirrel, it is best to provide it with a spacious activity space for it to play and live.

6. Eurasian red squirrel (cute appearance/gentle personality)

For those who want to keep squirrels as pets, the editor recommends Eurasian red squirrels, commonly known as demon squirrels. Demon squirrels are highly favored because of their appearance, which ranks among the best in the squirrel world. According to the different fur colors, demon squirrels can be divided into black demon kings, red demon kings and tricolor demon kings. Their body length is about 20 to 26 cm, and the length of the tail is usually more than two-thirds of the body length. The shape of the head can be divided into pointed face and round face: the pointed face looks clever and weird, while the round face gives people a simple and cute feeling. The purer and more single the fur color of the demon squirrel, the better the appearance and the higher the price. The main food of the demon squirrel includes fruits, seeds and some meat foods. They also eat bird eggs during the breeding period. In general, this kind of squirrel is very docile to the owner and is a very suitable little guy to be a pet.

7. Siberian Chipmunk (Small/5 stripes on back)

Siberian chipmunks, also known as golden chipmunks or chipmunks, are one of the most common squirrels. They are about 13 to 16 cm long, and their tails are 9 to 13 cm long. The top of the chipmunk's head is brown-black, the upper and lower eyes and ear edges are white, the back is light brown, and there are five obvious black longitudinal stripes on the back, the middle of which is the longest and extends to the top of the head. The center of the ventral side of the tail is brown-yellow, and the tail hair is long and fluffy, like a broom, and extends to both sides.

Chipmunks are very clean animals and often clean themselves constantly. They are omnivorous animals that mainly eat plants, mainly eating various nuts, beans, herbs and crop seeds, and occasionally insects and green parts of plants.

8. Fox Squirrel (a combination of fox and squirrel)

Fox squirrels are large, sturdy arboreal squirrels with five pairs of molars (including premolars), including five upper molars. There are no skin wings between its front and rear limbs, and its tail is long and furry. Compared with ordinary squirrels, fox squirrels are much larger, with a total body length of about 70 cm, including the tail. In order to facilitate climbing, they have sharp claws, flexible forearm flexors and strong abdominal muscles. In addition, fox squirrels have well-developed senses, with good vision, hearing and smell, which help them move in trees and find food.

9. Red-bellied Squirrel (Chest, abdomen and inner limbs are rusty red or brownish red/fluffy tail)

Red-bellied Squirrels are native to Southeast Asia and are currently mainly distributed in countries such as Myanmar, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. They are also distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan and Fujian in China. Their chest, abdomen and inner limbs are rusty red or brownish red, their body length is about 20 cm, and their weight is usually less than 500 grams. Most of the body of the red-bellied squirrel is long-haired, with only short hair on the head, chest, abdomen and limbs. Because they have very fluffy tails, in contrast to the short hair on their bodies, they are nicknamed "fluffy rats".

10. North American Red Squirrel

The North American Red Squirrel, also known as the American Red Squirrel, is slightly larger than the chipmunk, with a body length of about 28 to 35 cm and a weight of about 200 to 250 grams. Their fur color ranges from light brown to brownish red, and their abdomen is white. There are multiple subspecies of this species, which are widely distributed in deciduous and coniferous forests in North America, and are also common in urban parks and forested suburbs. North American Red Squirrels are diurnal animals and do not hibernate. Their diet mainly includes seeds of conifers, beech, walnut and maple trees, and they also eat fruits, buds, flowers, phloem, fungi, insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates. North American red squirrels have the habit of storing food. They usually hide food in multiple nests, which are usually made of branches and grass. Each squirrel will have several nests in its territory and has a strong sense of territory.

Other common squirrel species: