Squirrels of Florida Squirrels of Florida 1 Craig N. Huegel 2 Of the 94 species of wild mammals that are native to Florida, none are more frequently encountered than squirrels.
Squirrels belong to the most successful and widespread order in the world, rodents.
One of the main differences between squirrels and most other rodents is that squirrels have a rather large, bushy tail. All rodents are gnawing animals. These front teeth are kept sharp by gnawing on hard objects such as woody plant materials, seeds and nuts. This gnawing also serves another purpose. A rodent's front teeth grow constantly, so they must be filed down or they will grow to the point where they inhibit eating and the animal will starve.