Squirrel Power Trivia Quiz

The Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris) lives in the dry grasslands and deserts of southern Africa. Unlike tree squirrels, it doesn't spend much time climbing - instead, it's a champion digger! It builds long underground tunnels where it can hide from predators and keep cool during the day.

These squirrels live in groups and are highly sociable. They groom each other, play together and warn the group if danger is nearby. One of the coolest things about them is that they use their big, bushy tails like umbrellas to shade themselves from the hot African sun!

The Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is one of the most common squirrels in North America. You will often see it in parks, forests or even in your backyard, leaping from tree to tree or digging in the ground. These clever and curious creatures have excellent memories - they bury nuts in the autumn and find many of them again during winter.

Their fluffy tails help them to balance while climbing and also keep them warm in cold weather. Although they're called "gray", some have brown or even black fur.

They are also known for their funny little barks and for flicking their tails when they get excited or feel threatened.

Even though it's called a squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana), this animal is actually a bird! It lives in the forests of Central and South America. It gets its name from the way it moves: it climbs and hops through trees like a squirrel, using its long tail for balance.

The squirrel cuckoo has beautiful reddish-brown feathers and bright yellow eyes. It's an excellent insect hunter and loves eating big, juicy bugs such as grasshoppers and caterpillars. Sometimes, it even follows army ants and snatches up the insects that try to escape! Unlike some cuckoos, the squirrel cuckoo builds its own nest and cares for its chicks.

The red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) lives in the forests of Southeast Asia and is one of the world's largest flying squirrels. Although it cannot fly like a bird, it can glide through the air using a special flap of skin between its arms and legs that works like a parachute.

When it jumps from a tree, it stretches out its limbs and glides from branch to branch, sometimes covering more than 100 metres! Its reddish-brown fur and large eyes help it to move around safely at night, as it is active in the dark.

This gentle creature spends most of its time high up in the trees, eating leaves, fruit and flowers.

The black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) is a small, lively primate that lives in the rainforests of South America, especially near rivers. Even though it's called a squirrel monkey, it isn't related to squirrels - it's simply named that way because of its quick movements and long tail, which it uses for balance when leaping through the trees.

This monkey is easy to recognise thanks to its black cap, white face markings and yellowish limbs. It lives in large groups and is always on the move, searching for fruit, insects and small animals to eat. These monkeys are highly intelligent and often communicate with each other using high-pitched squeaks and calls.

The spotfin squirrelfish (Neoniphon sammara) is a bright red fish that lives in warm coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It usually grows to around 20 centimetres long and has a distinctive black spot on its dorsal fin. During the day, it hides in the cracks and caves of the reef, but at night, it comes out to hunt. With its big eyes, it can see in the dark and find tiny sea animals like shrimp and crabs. Spotfin squirrelfish are shy creatures that usually swim alone or in small groups.

When they are scared, they can even make quiet clicking sounds. Although they are easy to see, they prefer to stay hidden.

The squirrel tree frog (Dryophytes squirellus) is a small, green or brown frog that lives in the southeastern United States. It's only about 3 to 4 cm long - small enough to sit on your fingertip! These frogs are great climbers and use their sticky toe pads to cling to trees, leaves, windows, and even walls.

They are most active at night and after it rains, when they come out to hunt tiny insects such as flies and mosquitoes. Squirrel tree frogs can change colour depending on the temperature or where they are sitting, which helps them blend into their surroundings.

The Indian giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a colourful and super-sized squirrel that lives in the forests of India. It can grow to a length of up to 1 metre from nose to tail - much bigger than the squirrels you might see in a park. Its fur comes in beautiful colours such as reddish-brown, black, cream or shades that look purple.

This squirrel spends almost all of its time in tall trees, jumping from branch to branch with amazing skill. It uses its big, bushy tail for balance and to wrap around itself like a blanket while resting.

The Indian giant squirrel is shy and difficult to spot, but if you're lucky, you might hear it munching on fruit, nuts or leaves high up in the trees.

The squirrel chimney cave shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri) is a tiny, transparent shrimp that lives deep underground in caves in Kentucky, USA. It grows to only about 2-3 cm long and has no eyes at all because it lives in total darkness. Instead of using sight, it feels its way around with long antennae and senses movement in the water.

This shrimp is very rare and only found in a few cave systems, like those near Squirrel Chimney Cave, which is how it got its name. It feeds on tiny bits of food floating in the water, such as decaying plants or tiny animals. Because it lives in such a quiet, hidden world, scientists are still learning more about this mysterious little creature.

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a small rodent that lives in trees. It has reddish-brown fur and a big, fluffy tail. It inhabits forests across Europe and parts of Asia, particularly areas with an abundance of pine trees. Red squirrels are quick and nimble, using their sharp claws and strong legs to climb trees and leap from branch to branch.

They eat nuts, seeds, berries and sometimes even mushrooms. In autumn, they hide food in the ground or in tree holes to eat during the winter months. One of their most endearing features is their tufted ears, which become fluffier still in cold weather. Red squirrels are shy and fast, so spotting one in the wild is always a special experience.